Lebanon Ceasefire: An uneasy calm

Lebanon Ceasefire: An uneasy calm

From From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

April 18, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Kate Adie introduces stories on Lebanon's ceasefire amidst ongoing conflict, political changes in Hungary, and social issues in Ireland.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Kate Adie

Topics covered

  • Lebanon ceasefire
  • Israeli border town
  • Hungary elections
  • fuel protests in Ireland
  • longevity secrets

Keywords

  • Lebanon
  • ceasefire
  • Israel
  • Hungary
  • fuel protests
  • longevity
  • Black Wednesday

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Lebanon, Israel, Hungary, Ireland, Beirut, Metula, Budapest, Dublin

More episodes of From Our Own Correspondent

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the From Our Own Correspondent podcast page.