President Joseph Aoun stressed during a security meeting in Baabda on Monday the necessity of “strictly enforcing laws, preventing armed appearances, confiscating weapons and ammunition, expediting investigations, and referring violators to the competent judiciary to take the necessary action.”

The Lebanese government continues to make progress in combatting human trafficking but remains on Tier 2 in the latest global assessment by the U.S. Department of State.

According to the Department of State report, state capacity to implement anti-trafficking policies was heavily strained by the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah, which displaced over one million people and triggered a massive humanitarian crisis.

President Joseph Aoun on Monday emphasized that "Lebanon adheres to the diplomatic solution despite its difficulty,” because it is “far less costly than a devastating war for which the Lebanese -- and especially the people of the South -- are paying the price.”

“It is time for Lebanon to find peace," Aoun added, in a meeting with visiting Arab League chief Nabil Fahmy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he does not trust the Lebanese government in the issue of disarming Hezbollah, adding that the Israeli army will remain in the so-called security zone in south Lebanon.

“No, I don't trust them to disarm Hezbollah,” Netanyahu told Israel’s Radio North.

A small tunnel found Monday in the Northern Metn town of Fanar, near the pre-dominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zoaitriyeh, has sparked fresh controversy in the country amid tensions over Hezbollah and its weapons.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance — who participated in negotiations with Iran over the summer — has defended President Donald Trump's Iran strategy, and said the Trump administration is looking for a "final firm commitment from the Iranians that they're not going to rebuild their nuclear program."

U.S. President Donald Trump has predicted that the ongoing war with Iran will end “very quickly,” promising that American gas prices will fall below pre-war levels once hostilities cease.

The Lebanese Army deployed in and around Dahieh on Saturday following tensions involving Hezbollah supporters.

Concluding a three-day visit to Lebanon, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix reaffirmed the importance of Security Council resolution 1701 and the U.N.'s commitment to supporting peace and stability in Lebanon as UNIFIL prepares for its drawdown and planned withdrawal at the end of its mandate on 31 December 2026.

Lebanon’s central bank has this week canceled the local license of Bank Saderat Iran, one of Iran's largest banks, as the United States steps up pressure on countries to sever commercial ties with Tehran.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid stated that the move aims to "send a clear signal to the outside world that we are determined to protect our banking sector from any entity that might expose it to the risk of contamination."