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Druze leader Walid Jumblat reaffirmed his support for Army Commander General Joseph Aoun as his bloc’s candidate for Lebanon’s presidency, noting that the nomination has received favorable responses from the five-nation group focused on Lebanon’s situation. Jumblat emphasized the urgency of electing a president in the first round, warning against delaying the election until after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. …

U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, Chairman of the Cessation of Hostilities Implementation Mechanism, accompanied by French Brigadier General Guillaume Ponchin, visited the headquarters of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) 5th Brigade in southwest Lebanon on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the U.S. Embassy. The 5th Brigade’s headquarters is located approximately five kilometers northeast of Naqoura, a town recently …

Israel announced on Monday that Hamas had not yet confirmed the status of 34 hostages the group had previously indicated it was willing to release as part of a potential exchange deal. Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been involved in months-long efforts to broker a deal to end the war in Gaza. However, both sides have accused each …

U.S. special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Monday amid a fragile truce between Lebanon and Israel, which began on November 27. On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that no agreement would be reached unless Hezbollah withdrew beyond the Litani River. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s new leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, expressed concerns that the group’s patience with Israeli violations …

On Sunday, the Israeli military reported that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, marking the latest in a series of recent attacks. According to the military, the missile was intercepted before it could enter Israeli airspace after sirens sounded in the Talmei Elazar region. The missile was launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who control large parts of northern …

The U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon has accused Israel of a significant breach of the 2006 Security Council resolution, which is the foundation of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah that went into effect in November. This accusation from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) comes as Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem warned that the group’s tolerance for Israeli violations …

Hezbollah’s Coordination and Liaison Unit leader, Wafiq Safa, stated on Sunday that his group does not hold a “veto” power over the potential election of Army chief Joseph Aoun as president. He clarified that the only veto held by Hezbollah concerns Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, whom they consider a source of conflict and destruction for Lebanon. Safa also asserted …

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning on Sunday, stating that if Hezbollah does not retreat beyond the Litani River, there will be no agreement, and Israel will have to take action. Katz emphasized Israel’s commitment to ensuring the full implementation of the agreement in Lebanon, with a focus on safeguarding the return of residents in northern Israel. However, …