Al-Thawra Net/..
European stocks rose at the close on Thursday, with oil prices falling, but investors remained cautious with it being unclear whether the latest developments in the Middle East would lead to a lasting peace agreement.
Brent crude futures fell 2.8 percent to $95.06 per barrel.
Hopes for a broader calm were dashed after the Israeli entity said that it would not withdraw its forces from Lebanon, which complicates the efforts of US President Donald Trump to reach a peace agreement with Iran, according to the Omani News Agency.
Investors continued to search for stronger indicators of the possibility of progress after the failure of several rounds of negotiations.
The European STOXX 600 index closed up 0.5 percent at 624.45 points, driven by gains in the health care sector, as the shares of the French pharmaceutical company Apifax jumped 17.8 percent, recovering from losses incurred earlier in the week.
The European index is still heading towards recording a slight weekly decline with the continued near-total closure of the main corridor for global oil shipments, represented by the Strait of Hormuz.
Data from the London Stock Exchange Group showed that the continued pressure on prices led to expectations in the markets that the European Central Bank would raise interest rates by 25 basis points at next week’s meeting.
