Ceasefires have been announced, often to great fanfare, in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. So why is there still so much fighting?
In just the last few weeks, Israeli forces have captured more territory in Gaza and killed two top Hamas militants there, as well as more than a dozen other people.
And the fighting in Lebanon showed no sign of letting up. Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people on Wednesday, Lebanese security sources said, while Hezbollah claimed fresh attacks against Israeli forces.
The United States and Iran traded air attacks again on Thursday, and President Donald Trump threatened more strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.
Meanwhile, Iran has maintained its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, perpetuating a global fuel crisis, while the US has tried to cement its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
None of the warring parties have officially exited the ceasefires, but the term is rapidly losing its meaning.
Fighting rages in southern Lebanon
A Lebanon ceasefire reached in April has had little impact on the fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, particularly in southern Lebanon, where they have continued trading fire as Israel expands its occupation of Lebanese territory.
Earlier this month, Israeli troops raised their flag over Beaufort castle, marking their deepest incursion into southern Lebanon since the end of the 1982-2000 occupation. Hezbollah responded with even deeper rocket attacks into northern Israel.
Israel had continued carrying out strikes after an earlier ceasefire in 2024. Hezbollah had held its fire until the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, setting off the wider war. Hezbollah did not officially agree to the April ceasefire but said it would abide by it if Israel ceased its attacks and withdrew from Lebanon.
Israel says it will keep fighting until the threat of rocket and drone attacks on its northern communities has been eliminated, either by its own actions or by the Lebanese government disarming Hezbollah. That has appeared even less likely as the fighting has escalated, despite continuing Israeli-Lebanese negotiations.
Iran has meanwhile demanded a ceasefire in Lebanon as part of any truce with the United States.
US and Iran trade fire as they try to reach a deal
A wider ceasefire reached in early April between the U.S., Iran and Israel was intended to end the regional war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway whose closure caused oil prices to spike, inflicting economic pain far beyond the region.
Iran initially announced the reopening the strait after the ceasefire was reached, but moved to close it again after the U.S. imposed its naval blockade. Trump is demanding that Iran reopen the strait and make major concessions on its disputed nuclear program, while Iran wants a lasting end to the war, a lifting of the blockade and sanctions relief.
The two sides appeared close to a deal last month but did not reach one. Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume the war if Iran doesn’t give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iranian officials have said they won’t discuss nuclear issues until a more durable truce is reached.
The two sides have repeatedly traded fire in the strait, with the U.S. acting to eliminate what it says are threats to commercial shipping or its own forces, and Iran retaliating with missile and drone attacks on Gulf countries hosting American forces.
Last month, the U.S. said it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it targeted American soldiers in Kuwait with missiles, which the U.S. says it shot down.
And on Wednesday, the US fired 49 Tomahawk missiles at Iran as both sides traded strikes for the second day in a row.
US Central Command (Centcom) said it launched “self-defence strikes” on targets across Iran overnight, including military surveillance and air defence sites.
In response, Iran launched strikes targeting 18 US airbases in the Gulf region, forcing the Kuwaiti government to temporarily shut its airspace and Bahrain to sound air sirens.
The escalation in hostilities began earlier this week with the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which sparked a series of tit-for-tat attacks across Iran and on US bases around the region.
