NPR News: 04-19-2026 4AM EDT

A French soldier serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon was killed Saturday, and President Emmanuel Macron said “everything suggests” Hezbollah was responsible. The incident is one of two that are testing the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Separately, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to ship traffic again Saturday, saying it will remain shut until the U.S. stops its blockade on Iranian ports. A federal appeals panel has temporarily allowed construction on President Trump’s planned White House ballroom to proceed, and new data shows the share of first-time home buyers has fallen to another record low.

Ceasefire Under Strain in Southern Lebanon

The killing of the French peacekeeper is the most serious challenge to the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. French President Macron directly blamed Hezbollah for the attack, which also left a French soldier injured. The Israeli military said it conducted a strike in southern Lebanon in response. An Israeli official, speaking to NPR, framed the operation as a decisive push: “We want that this time it will be the end, but the final end. We don’t want another little war for one year later or two year later. We want quiet.” The official added that Hezbollah is weakened and argued that now is the time to defeat them. Israel also reported that one of its soldiers was killed during combat in souther