Pete Hegseth claims ‘Iran begged for this ceasefire’: Live

US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth claimed today that Iran begged for a ceasefire

At a Pentagon press briefing, Hegseth added that Trump achieved ‘victory with a capital V.’

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned they will respond if Israel does not cease attacks on Lebanon, as deadly strikes killed dozens of people today.

‘We issue a firm warning to the United States, which violates treaties, and to its Zionist ally, its executioner: if the aggression against beloved Lebanon does not cease immediately, we will fulfil our duty and deliver a response,’ the Guards said in a statement carried on state TV, using a reference to Israel.

Israel says the US-Iran truce does not include Lebanon, which was drawn into the war after an Iran-backed group Hezbollah, launched attacks on Israel.

Pictured: Debris at the site of a damaged apartment building after an Israeli air strike in the Ain Mreisseh neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon, 08 April 2026.

Pictured: Rescuers search for survivors in the Fatima al-Zahraa complex in Sidon, Lebanon 08 April 2026.

Pictured: People gather at the scene of an Israeli airstrike in the Corniche el-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut, Lebanon 08 April 2026.

Pictured: Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targets the southern suburbs of Beirut, Dahiyeh, Lebanon 08 April 2026

Pictured: Firefighters and rescuers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 8, 2026

People stand at the site of an Israeli strike, in Al-Mazraa in Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026.

Italy has summoned the Israeli ambassador to demand an explanation over shots fired at an Italian convoy in a UN mission in Lebanon, the foreign minister said, warning Israeli forces had ‘no authority to touch’ Rome’s troops.

The UN peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along a demarcation line with Israel – an area that has seen major clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

‘Israeli warning shots have damaged one of our vehicles; fortunately, no one was injured,’ Antonio Tajani told a question session in the lower house of parliament.

A defense ministry statement said the Italian logistics convoy was travelling from Shama to Beirut on Wednesday when, about 2 km after departure, the Israeli military fired warning shots. The convoy immediately stopped and returned to base, it said.

The incident came as Israel carried out its heaviest strikes on Lebanon since the conflict with militant group Hezbollah broke out last month, saying a ceasefire suspending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran did not apply to Lebanon.

‘Endangering convoys clearly identified with the UN flag cannot be tolerated. This is serious behaviour that risks compromising the safety of peacekeepers and the credibility of the mission itself,’ Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

Hezbollah, in a statement, condemned Israel’s widespread attacks across the country, including neighbourhoods in central Beirut without warning, and said it reserved its ‘natural and legal right to resist occupation and respond to its attacks.’

The militant group did not claim any attacks on Israel on Wednesday after the US-Iran ceasefire went into effect.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on X that Lebanon’s leadership had failed to disarm Hezbollah or prevent attacks on Israel, accusing them of criticising Israeli strikes instead of taking action.

The ministry said Lebanese authorities had not enforced commitments to demilitarise southern Lebanon and warned Israel would act to remove the threat if they do not.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun earlier called Israel’s attacks in central Beirut that killed dozens ‘barbaric.’

Lebanon’s health minister Rakan Nassereddine warned the current death toll of 89 is expected to rise as more and more people are rushed to hospital.

Nassereddine said: ‘The needs are increasing, but the scale of the assault is also huge.

‘We are facing a dangerous escalation that happened in Lebanon, an Israeli aggression with more than 100 air strikes that targeted innocent civilians in Beirut, Dahiyeh, Bekaa, Mount Lebanon and the south.’

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid today of deceiving Israel and its partners with its war with Iran.

He said: ‘The prime minister deceived the citizens of Israel, deceived his partners, and, through a series of theatrical press conferences, sold the public a strategic plan that did not exist.

‘This war was managed as if the citizens of the State of Israel were the government’s cannon fodder. No sheltering solutions, no educational plans, no compensation plans, no plan for Ben Gurion Airport – nothing! Zero concern for the citizens.

‘What happened is that Netanyahu went to war under ideal conditions, but with absolutely no idea how to end it. On the battlefield, we won; on the diplomatic front, it is a total defeat.’