Russia and Ukraine swapped bodies of killed soldiers on Thursday, in one of the few areas of cooperation between the warring sides.

European stocks mostly rose Thursday as investors welcomed news of easing U.S. inflation, while oil prices fell back from recent gains amid uncertainty over the prospects for the Strait of Hormuz.

London's stock market, however, fell as shares in heavyweight mining companies retreated after copper giant Antofagasta downgraded its production outlook.

Libya has, within the span of a single day, had a senior intelligence official killed in a car bomb in the east and suffered drone attacks on a major oil refinery near Tripoli in the west.

Kuwait has arrested three Islamic State group members accused of plotting attacks on a Shia mosque as well as "vital facilities", a security source told AFP.

A senior Iranian official said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz remains under the control of the Islamic republic after President Donald Trump claimed U.S. control over the strategic waterway.

"Today, you see that the Strait of Hormuz is under the management and control of the Islamic republic, and our country continues on its path in complete security," said Hossein Taeb, head of the paramilitary Basij forces affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to state television.

The Trump administration has said that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments that Israel will not withdraw from certain south Lebanon areas are inconsistent with a framework deal agreed to by Israel and Lebanon.

A U.S. State Department official reaffirmed that the U.S. “expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to,” which does not include a long-term or permanent Israeli presence in south Lebanon.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel, a staunch supporter of West Bank settlements, on Thursday denounced as "terror" a siege by settlers against Palestinians that drew an unsuccessful intervention by the army.

Settlers near Nablus since Sunday have blockaded Palestinian homes, including one owned by a U.S. citizen, with residents saying they have been cut off from food and other supplies.

Relatives of Lebanese seized by Israel during its last two wars with Hezbollah held a rally in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut on Wednesday to demand information.

Israel is estimated to have seized dozens of people in Lebanon since 2024, including Hezbollah fighters but also numerous civilians. Its military occasionally reports capturing Hezbollah fighters.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday condemned Israel's "systematic destruction" in the country's south as a violation of international law, as Israel's defense minister said its military was "destroying all the houses" there.

Salam said Israeli "attacks, incursions, demolitions and the systematic destruction of homes", infrastructure, government buildings and places of worship "represent a serious violation of the principles and rules of international law and international humanitarian law".

Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday passed an amnesty law, the first of its kind since 1991, that is expected to benefit thousands of prisoners and wanted people.