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"Israel's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Danny Danon welcomed a planned ceasefire with Lebanon and denounced Iran's actions in a key shipping lane, calling them 'extortion' during a press conference in New York City on Thursday. "Iran is trying to choke one of the world's most important waterways and turn it into weapons. They block ships, they harass them, then they name a price. Pay and you pass, refuse and you are stopped. That is not trade. That is economic terrorism," he stated. Danon also criticised remarks by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who earlier suggested Israel and Hezbollah had contributed to destabilising Lebanon. "He chose to cast doubt. He chose to blur the truth. He chose to draw a comparison between a sovereign state and a terrorist organisation. That is shameful," he proclaimed. At the same time, he underlined that Israel remains open to negotiations aimed at achieving peace with Lebanon. "We know that it's complicated because Hezbollah is very involved in the Lebanese government, very involved on the ground, and the Lebanese government will have to stretch their muscles and apply sovereignty over Lebanon." Asked about the timeline for future talks between Israel and Lebanon, Danon said it was too early to provide details. "We will come to any meeting to promote peace. But I cannot speak for the Lebanese government. We know that they are under pressure and threats from Iran [...] So we will have to see what they are doing," he concluded. A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon reportedly took effect at midnight Friday local time (April 16, 21:00 GMT), coming days after rare direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Washington described by officials as 'open, direct, high-level' diplomacy. A ceasefire between Iran and the US-Israel alliance came into effect last week, though disputes remain over whether it extends to Lebanon. Talks between the sides ended in Islamabad on Sunday without agreement. Clashes in Lebanon erupted again on March 2 after Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel, which it said were 'in revenge' for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei."
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