**Paris (France) (AFP)** – Here are the latest developments in the Middle East war:
– **Israeli strikes**
Israel’s army said it has launched strikes on Hezbollah sites in the Tyre area of south Lebanon. The military told residents of five villages earlier to immediately leave ahead of the expected attacks, despite a shaky ceasefire.
– **Oil rises**
Oil prices were rising again as another weekend approached with no prospect of a return to normal oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, with the price well over the symbolic $100 a barrel.
– **India hikes fuel prices**
India’s state-run oil companies raised petrol and diesel prices by more than three percent as the Middle East war continues to disrupt energy supplies and put pressure on the economy.
– **India PM seeks energy security**
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United Arab Emirates where he hopes to strengthen his country’s energy security, as the war continues to sow uncertainty across the world. “Keeping Hormuz free, open, and safe is our highest priority, and in this matter adherence to international laws is essential,” Modi said, in footage released by the Indian foreign ministry.
– **China: war ‘should not have happened’**
China called for a lasting truce in the Middle East and for shipping lanes to be reopened “as soon as possible.” “There is no point in continuing this conflict, which should not have happened in the first place,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
– **Israel soldier killed**
Israel’s military said one of its soldiers had died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 20 personnel since the war with Hezbollah began in early March.
– **Trump softens on Iran uranium**
US President Donald Trump suggested that hunting down Iran’s enriched uranium was primarily for political optics, after Israel demanded it as a goal in the Mideast war. “I just feel better if I got it, actually, but it’s — I think, it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
– **Iran must make deal: Trump**
In the same interview, Trump told Hannity he was running out of patience to reach a truce with Iran as peace talks have stalled. “I’m not going to be much more patient…They should make a deal. Any sane person would make a deal, but they might be crazy,” Trump said.
– **Israel-Lebanon talks ‘positive’**
A US official said talks in Washington between Israel and Lebanon about an expiring ceasefire were “positive” and would continue into a second day. “We had a full day of productive and positive talks that lasted from 9 am to 5 pm,” a senior State Department official said. “We look forward to continuing this tomorrow (Friday) and hope to have more to share then.”
– **IMF downbeat**
The International Monetary Fund warned that continuing disruptions caused by the Iran war meant its global economic outlook was moving towards an “adverse” scenario, with growth pared down and greater risks to inflation. Last month, the multilateral lender’s World Economic Outlook predicted global growth would drop to 3.1 percent in 2026 in its “reference” scenario, but warned of a bleaker outlook if the war were to drag on. In the “adverse” scenario, where oil prices remain higher for longer, inflation expectations become less stable and financial conditions tighten, growth would slow to 2.5 percent, the Fund said at the time.
© 2024 AFP
