Trump calls Strait of Hormuz 'something that we don't need'

The expanding Israeli military operation in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah will not be a short one, the Israeli military's chief of staff, Lt. General Eyal Zamir, said Thursday.

"This operation will not be short. We will bring additional troops and capabilities to the north. We will continue to act with great determination. We continue moving forward," Zamir said during a visit to the Northern Command.

Zamir said there have been "excellent results" from the operation in Lebanon so far, with "most" missile launchers thwarted after they fired and "dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites at the heart of terror in Beirut" struck.

The commander, deputy commander and "many" staff officers of the Imam Hussein Division, a militia affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, were also killed, Zamir said.

About 47,000 Americans have safely returned to the U.S. from the Middle East since Feb. 28, a senior State Department official said.

The official said the State Department has offered departure options to nearly every American in the region who has asked for help. Most Americans who requested help ended up declining seats when offered by the State Department, choosing to remain where they were or choosing to book a commercial flight, the official said.

By the end of the day Thursday, the State Department will have completed more than 48 flights to evacuate Americans, the official said.

-ABC News’ Shannon Kingston

As the International Energy Agency announced Thursday that the Iran conflict is causing the “largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market,” President Donald Trump is turning to social media to tout America’s oil production capabilities.

“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” Trump said.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in an interview with Fox News Thursday that Trump’s focus is on American consumers.

“Overall for the U.S. economy, this isn't bad news. But of course [what] President Trump is worried about is not overall, he is worried about every single American consumer. So yes, of course he is concerned about the rising energy prices through this short-term period that people have to suffer,” Wright said.

While the U.S. is the largest oil producer in the world and American oil companies stand to profit from higher oil prices, the higher prices will hurt many companies and consumers, which the president did not comment on.

Trump also said on social media that curtailing Iran’s power is more important to him than oil profits.

“BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping [sic] an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World,” Trump wrote.

-ABC News’ Emily Chang

The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that two-thirds of Iran's ballistic missile launchers have been neutralized and about 80% of the regime’s defense systems have been neutralized.

More than 110 drones have been intercepted and destroyed, the IDF added.

“We've been able to neutralize hundreds of missile launchers and create a real bottleneck," IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said. "That is one of the main reasons why their launchers towards Israel and other countries in the region have diminished heavily.”

-ABC News’ Dorit Long