Five killed in strikes on Lebanon, health ministry reports – as it happened

This live blog is now closed – our coverage of the Middle East crisis continues Investor hopes for a swift resolution to the Middle East conflict propelled Australian shares higher today, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 finishing the day up 1.1% and recovering about $35bn in value after .Oil prices surged to a four-year high early in the week below $US90 a barrel after Donald Trump suggested the Iran conflict would end soon, sending global stock markets higher.