MP Elias Hankash of the Kataeb Party said Thursday in an address before parliament that “the issue of illegitimate weapons is neither a theoretical issue nor an ordinary political dispute.”

"It has been rather linked in the collective conscience of the Lebanese people to a series of assassinations that claimed the life of martyr (ex-)PM Rafik Hariri, as well as national leaders from the March 14 forces who were colleagues in this parliament, including Pierre Gemayel, Gebran Tueni, Walid Eido and Mohammad Chatah, in addition to security officials such as Wissam al-Hassan, Samer Hanna and others,” Hankash said.

Cabinet will convene Friday in Baabda with the reconstruction of war-hit regions on its agenda, Speaker Nabih Berri said in a parliament session.

The World Bank estimates the costs of reconstruction and recovery at $11 billion.

Hezbollah MP Ali Fayad accused Israel on Thursday of failing to meet its obligations, despite Hezbollah's compliance with disarming south of the Litani River.

"We have committed to disarming south of the Litani river and not a single bullet was fired but it was met with nothing in return," Fayad said as parliament convened for a third and last day in a row to discuss the 2026 state budget.

A conglomerate based in the United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it is closing its operations in Lebanon and laying off all employees following a dispute with authorities in the crisis-hit country.

The announcement by the Dubai-based Al Habtoor Group came two days after it said it will take legal action against Lebanese authorities over claims of investment losses of $1.7 billion.

Cairo is viewing the developments in Lebanon with concern, particularly regarding potential actions by the Israeli side, informed sources in Cairo said.

The sources explained to al-Akhbar newspaper that the Egyptian approach stems from “an effort to obstruct Israel's attempts to mobilize American support for launching a new strike against Lebanon.”

U.S. pressure has prompted Qatar to drop an article on reconstructing a number of southern towns from the Qatari aid package that was announced on Monday, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

“The U.S. is still preventing the Lebanese government from launching an official call for reconstruction or establishing a fund for the contributions of donor countries, linking this step to the fulfillment of an Israeli demand for the disarmament of Hezbollah across Lebanon,” an informed source told the daily.

Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has met in Doha with the French special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

"During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and ways to support and strengthen them, discussed the latest developments in Lebanon, and addressed a number of issues of common interest,” the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has called for everyone to return to the State and to not give Israel excuses to keep up its attacks and occupation.

"We demand that everyone return to the state, the state of law," Rajji said Tuesday in a seminar, adding that "this is not the time for fiery statements or ideological slogans but a time to work on ensuring the enemy is given no excuse for stalling."

Druze leader Walid Jumblat has described Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem’s latest remarks on supporting Iran in the event of a new war as “irresponsible, irresponsible, irresponsible.”

Warning that such remarks “provoke the Israelis,” Jumblat lamented in remarks to Lebanon’s L'Orient-Le Jour newspaper that Qassem’s statements “threaten the good progress that the government has achieved in the army’s plans in the south.”

Minister for the Middle East and North Africa Hamish Falconer has held phone talks with Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji and welcomed the “progress” of the Lebanese Army in “bringing Hezbollah’s weapons in the south under state control.”

“The UK will continue to support all efforts to ensure security in Lebanon and across the region,” Falconer added, in a post on X.