Israeli Security Cabinet Meets Tonight on Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon Ceasefire

Israel’s security cabinet convened to discuss developments in the Strait of Hormuz and the Lebanon ceasefire, according to Israeli Army Radio as carried by Al-Manar TV Lebanon.

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Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The Al-Manar item also places the discussion in a specific time context, stating “Sunday, 19/04/2026” and describing the cabinet meeting as happening “tonight.”

CBC

In parallel, multiple outlets described a broader diplomatic sequence that linked the Lebanon pause in hostilities with developments around the Strait of Hormuz.

The Globe and Mail said that on Thursday U.S. President Donald Trump showed he could “restrain Israel and get it to end its war on Lebanon,” and then “less than 24 hours later, Iran responded by temporarily lifting its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.”

CBC described how assurances that the strait was “completely” open were followed by Tehran’s announcement 24 hours later that it had “returned to its previous state.”

NPR framed the same period as a “flurry of social media messages Friday,” with Iran saying the passage was open while the U.S. blockade continued.

Across the reporting, the Lebanon ceasefire is treated as a hinge point for both military restraint and maritime access, even as each outlet emphasizes that the situation can shift quickly.

Several reports described the Strait of Hormuz reopening for commercial ships while the U.S. blockade on Iran remained in force, creating a split between maritime access and broader sanctions pressure.

NPR said Iran “reopened the Strait of Hormuz for commercial ships” after Israel and Hezbollah began a temporary ceasefire, while President Trump insisted “the U.S. naval blockade remained in enforced on Iran.”

NPR

NPR quoted Trump’s post: “THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS AND FULL PASSAGE, BUT THE NAVAL BLOCKADE WILL REMAIN IN FULL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IT PERTAINS TO IRAN, ONLY, UNTIL SUCH TIME AS OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE.”

CBC similarly described how Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday the strait would open “for all commercial vessels as long as the cessation of hostilities remains in place,” but added that “the U.S. has not backed down on its naval blockade.”

CBC also said that after Iran warned it would take “necessary reciprocal measures” if the U.S. blockade continued, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's National Security Commission, said the strait was “returning to the status quo.”

The Globe and Mail added that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced the strait was open to all commercial vessels “for the remaining period of ceasefire.”

The Globe and Mail also tied the maritime shift to oil and gas markets, saying crude oil prices “immediately began falling,” and that natural gas prices “had more than doubled in some markets” before the drop.

While the Strait of Hormuz became a focal point for diplomacy, NPR described how the Lebanon ceasefire immediately triggered competing messages about whether displaced residents should return.

“The Strait of Hormuz opens for commercial ships but the U”

NPR

NPR said President Trump hailed the ceasefire to pause fighting between Israel and Hezbollah as a “historic day” for Lebanon, and then issued “his strongest public comments demanding that Israel uphold the agreement.”

NPR quoted Trump: “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!”

The outlet also reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the ceasefire could open the door to a broader agreement with Lebanon, but he “made clear Israel would not withdraw from what he described as an expanded 10-kilometer-deep security buffer zone in southern Lebanon.”

Lebanon’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, called the agreement a central Lebanese demand and said he hoped displaced residents would be able to return home soon.

NPR also reported that Hezbollah urged people displaced by the fighting not to rush back to southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs until the situation becomes clearer, and that the Israeli military warned Lebanese residents not to return to their villages yet for their safety.

NPR’s account of the immediate aftermath included movement despite warnings, saying “Thousands of people displaced by fighting in Lebanon in recent weeks began heading home Friday, hours after the ceasefire with Israel took effect,” and that the war has displaced “around 1.2 million people in Lebanon.”

The Globe and Mail framed the Lebanon ceasefire and the Strait of Hormuz opening as part of a fast-moving diplomatic chain that could be reversed quickly, emphasizing that the moves were not rooted in a negotiated settlement.

It said “Rarely has diplomacy been conducted so loudly, or so publicly,” and described how “Both the ceasefire and the opening of the strait could be reversed in a matter of minutes.”

CBC

The outlet argued that the “cascade of events” made plain that the “10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon had less to do with either country than with the U.S. President’s desire to find a way to end the wider conflict.”

It also described how the ceasefire announcement was greeted with “celebrations in Lebanon,” where “some of the country’s more than one million displaced residents began cautiously returning to their homes,” while “there was anger in Israel” among those who felt the war was being forced to an end before Israel’s stated aim.

The Globe and Mail connected the maritime shift to energy markets, saying crude oil prices rose “by one-third over the past seven weeks” before falling, and that natural gas prices “had more than doubled in some markets.”

It also described the ceasefire’s linkage to the Iran-U.S. pause, noting that the “14-day pause that the U.S. and Iran agreed to on April 8” was due to expire on Wednesday.

The Globe and Mail included a Mehr News Agency editorial line stating: “The Lebanon ceasefire wasn’t a White House gift,” and that it “was an Iranian precondition for negotiations.”

CBC and NPR both emphasized that even when the Strait of Hormuz is described as open, the practical and safety conditions remain uncertain, with shipping traffic still constrained.

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Al-Ayyam al-Bahrainiyyah

CBC said that “marine traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained effectively at a standstill,” and described how “About 20 vessels began sailing toward the strait that evening but soon halted, with some turning back.”

NPR

It added that “Marine Traffic still showed oil tankers and container vessels clustered on either side of the strait,” and contrasted that with UN Trade and Development’s estimate that “as many as 151 ships were transiting through daily in February.”

CBC also described attacks during the ceasefire, saying “Two Indian-flagged vessels carrying crude oil were attacked Saturday while attempting to cross the strait,” and that India’s Ministry of External Affairs said so.

Another major uncertainty in CBC’s account was mining, with the outlet stating that Trump said Iran, with U.S. help, “has removed or is in the process of removing all sea mines it had placed in the strait,” while “Iran gave no corroboration.”

CBC further reported that U.S. officials quoted by the New York Times said Iran “hasn't been able to locate all of the mines it laid and doesn't have the capability to remove them,” and that Admiral Brad Cooper confirmed the U.S. military would be working to clear mines but “offered no details on the scope of the task.”

NPR’s account reinforced the conditional nature of access by quoting Trump’s insistence that the blockade would remain “until such time as our transaction with Iran is 100% complete.”