Lebanon Ceasefire: An uneasy calm
From Our Own Correspondent
BBC
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Kate Adie introduces stories on Lebanon's deadliest day, life in an Israeli under-siege border town, Hungary's victorious new leader, fuel protests in Ireland, and the secrets of a long life in Japan.
President Trump’s announcement of a ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon comes after Lebanon experienced its deadliest day of the conflict so far - what's become known as 'Black Wednesday'. More than 2,100 people have been killed since the conflict began, with more than a million displaced. Hugo Bachega reports from Beirut.
The ceasefire has been cautiously welcomed by some Israeli citizens too - though many are in favour of the war continuing, to defeat Hezbollah which has mounted cross-border attacks against Israel for decades. Nick Beake travelled to Israel's northernmost town of Metula.
The curtain fell last weekend on sixteen years of Viktor Orban’s rule as prime minister of Hungry after he lost the general election in a landslide victory to former ally Peter Magyar. The new leader has promised to repair frayed relations with the EU. Nick Thorpe reports from Budapest.
Roads in and around Irish cities came to a standstill for days last week as farmers, truck-drivers and agricultural workers formed a blockade amid soaring fuel prices which they said were crippling businesses. Sara Girvin was in Dublin.
There’s a seemingly endless interest in unlocking the secrets to living longer. Many people look to the world’s so-called ‘blue zones’ – areas that are home to a high percentage of centenarians. One of the most renowned is the Japanese island of Okinawa - Christine Finn went looking for clues.
Series Producer: Serena Tarling Production Coordinators: Katie Morrison and Sophie Hill Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello. Today we report on the fuel protests in Ireland, which have brought |
| 0:11.1 | traffic across the country to a standstill. We're in Hungary in the days after Victor Orban was |
| 0:17.0 | swept from power. There's jubilation on the streets, but will it bring real change? |
| 0:23.0 | In Japan, the art of aging gracefully is carefully cultivated in Okinawa. We seek out the secrets |
| 0:30.0 | to a lengthy life. And we're in Israel's northernmost town, where locals returning after a |
| 0:36.4 | previous conflict, once again found themselves |
| 0:39.2 | living under fire. But first to Lebanon, where there's been a pause in the fighting between Israel |
| 0:45.1 | and Hezbollah following President Trump's announcement of a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. |
| 0:51.9 | Israel and Lebanon's leaders have welcomed the truce, but Israel's Prime |
| 0:56.2 | Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said troops will remain in a security zone in the country's |
| 1:01.8 | south. The Iran-backed Hezbollah, which is not part of the Lebanese government security apparatus, |
| 1:08.4 | but is deeply embedded in the country, has indicated it will abide by |
| 1:13.1 | the ceasefire, but it said the ongoing Israeli occupation grants Lebanon a right to resist. |
| 1:20.5 | More than 2,100 people have been killed since the conflict began early in March, with more |
| 1:27.2 | than a million displaced. |
| 1:29.5 | Hugo Bachega has been in Lebanon and was there on the deadliest day in the conflict so far. |
| 1:35.6 | At around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, on the 8th of April, explosions echo through Beirut. |
| 1:41.1 | This is a city that has survived many wars, and some of its buildings and many of its |
| 1:45.9 | people still carry the bruises of old conflicts. I've been living in this country for two and a half |
| 1:51.4 | years, and since I got here, Lebanon has known almost nothing but war. I've become used to the sound |
| 1:58.4 | of Israeli drones circling overhead, and the loud explosions |
| 2:02.6 | in the distance, sometimes shattering my windows, waking me up in the middle of the night, |
... |
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