In a video message on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israel Defense Force (IDF) had taken out nearly 10,000 Hezbollah militants as the military continued attacks on southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military has been "systematically clearing out" Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in south Lebanon, the prime minister said in the video.
In a separate statement, the IDF said Wednesday that it had struck Hezbollah infrastructure sites and killed Hezbollah militants in Tyre and other areas in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours.
One airstrike hit a Hezbollah weapons cache in Tyre, triggering secondary explosions, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah has not yet responded to the IDF claims.
The developments came as Israel and Lebanon are engaged in direct, U.S.-mediated talks on border security and other pressing issues, although the two sides remain sharply divided over the status of Hezbollah's armed presence in Lebanon and the terms of a ceasefire arrangement.
Despite a ceasefire reached by Israel and Lebanon in mid-April, Israel has continued near-daily strikes in Lebanon claiming targeting Hezbollah positions and weapons, while Hezbollah has launched attacks on Israeli military positions.
Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said Wednesday that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed 3,696 people in Lebanon and injured 11,413 others.
IDF takes out nearly 10,000 Hezbollah militants: Israeli PM
The U.S. consumer price index (CPI) rose 4.2 percent year on year in May, marking its highest level since May 2023, as energy prices remained high, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday.
Notably, the energy index for May increased 3.9 percent month on month, accounting for over 60 percent of headline inflation.
Gasoline and fuel oil prices increased 40.5 percent and 58.9 percent year on year, respectively, in May.
The national average price of gasoline reached 4.555 U.S. dollars per gallon on May 20, a 50 percent rise since the Iran conflict started in February, according to data released by the American Automobile Association. The price later eased to 4.151 dollars per gallon on Wednesday.
The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, increased 2.9 percent year on year in May.
Statistics show that U.S. headline CPI for May rose 0.5 percent month on month, down from 0.6 percent in April, while core CPI increased 0.2 percent, compared with a 0.4 percent gain in April and below the market consensus forecast of 0.3 percent.
The report arrives at a critical juncture for markets and Federal Reserve policymakers. While the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at its June 17 meeting, policymakers acknowledged that the inflation surge caused by the Iran conflict will likely delay any rate reduction. The data are likely to reinforce this stance.
Oil prices rose while U.S. stocks traded lower in the morning session on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran has "taken too long to negotiate a deal" and will "have to pay the price."
U.S. May CPI rises to highest level since May 2023
