U.S. dollar ticks down

The U.S. dollar softened in late trading on Tuesday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, dropped 0.09 percent to 99.540 at 3 p.m. (1900 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro increased to 1.1610 U.S. dollars from 1.1595 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound climbed to 1.3429 dollars from 1.3419 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 160.44 Japanese yen, higher than 160.31 Japanese yen of the previous session. The U.S. dollar dropped to 0.7931 Swiss francs from 0.7940 Swiss francs, and it increased to 1.3993 Canadian dollars from 1.3987 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar declined to 9.3618 Swedish kronor from 9.3913 Swedish kronor.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met on Tuesday on preparations for the fifth round of negotiations with Israel to be held in Washington next Monday, as hostilities between the two countries continue despite the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Early on Monday, the United States, Pakistan and Iran announced the finalization of an MoU on ending the war following weeks of negotiations, noting that it will be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday. The MoU also intends to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Welcoming the MoU as a positive step for regional de-escalation, the two Lebanese leaders called for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Lebanese territory, as well as the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border, the return of Lebanese detainees, and the launch of reconstruction efforts.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem thanked Iran in a message on Tuesday for helping stop the "Israeli-American aggression" on Lebanon.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a press conference on Monday that the Israeli military would remain in the "security zones" it controlled in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip as long as necessary.

On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its air defenses intercepted several rockets launched by Hezbollah at Israeli troops in southern Lebanon in the morning, adding its Air Force struck and destroyed the launcher a short while later.

Meanwhile, Israeli attacks have intensified in the Nabatieh area in southern Lebanon, where drone strikes killed four people and injured several others in Mayfadoun on Tuesday, according to a preliminary toll reported by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

A drone first targeted a vehicle in Mayfadoun before striking the area again after residents gathered at the scene. A second vehicle was later targeted in the same area, according to NNA.

The Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health said the cumulative death toll from hostilities in Lebanon between March 2 and June 16 has reached 3,826, with another 11,851 injured.

Rescue teams have recently recovered around 70 bodies from under the rubble in two villages in the Bint Jbeil District in Nabatieh.

As search and recovery operations continue in areas that had remained inaccessible during the fighting, the toll is likely to rise further.