On the morning of May 31 local time the Israel Defense Forces said it had crossed the Litani River and pushed military operations against HEZBOLLAH targets to the river's north bank, saying the scope of operations was continuing to expand.

EU officials are considering a temporary freeze of the automatic six-month reset of the Russia oil price cap after Middle East fighting and Strait of Hormuz disruptions pushed crude sharply higher, sources said. The mechanism, adopted last year, sets the cap at 15% below the Russia Urals market average; the current cap is $44.10/bl and is due for reassessment in late summer. Under the cap, EU firms are prohibited from providing insurance, shipping or other services for oil sold above the cap. Sources said a July review could raise the cap to at least $65/bl — above the $60 level previously agreed by the G7 — while a freeze would keep it at the current level.

The expedition ship Hondius, which earlier had a fatal hantavirus outbreak, was declared virus-free after comprehensive cleaning and inspection and has been cleared to resume operations, Dutch operator Oceanwide Expeditions said on May 31. The company expects to restart scheduled sailings on June 13; the next voyage will depart Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, and transit islands in the northern archipelago.