Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Monday during a ministerial meeting that protecting Lebanon and avoiding any involvement in a new war represent the government's foremost priorities during the current phase.

U.S. President Donald Trump cast doubt on renewed fighting with Iran, telling CNN it was "highly unlikely," ahead of a meeting with mediator Qatar's prime minister on Monday. But Israeli defense minister Israel Katz said Sunday that Israel is not finished with Iran.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has commented on the claims that the ruling authority is confused and hesitant in the face of the possibilities facing the region in the wake of the U.S. and Israeli elections by saying that "it is very unfortunate that the Lebanese people are being misled” with such speculation.

Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Monday noted that "what happened in the U.S. elections does not directly affect us, because what is required in Lebanon is the restriction of weapons exclusively to the state.”

This is “something we have repeatedly called for and we support the policy of the country's president and premier in implementing this matter,” Jumblat added.

Speaker Nabih Berri warned Monday against "major shifts" in Lebanon, urging the Lebanese to unite despite internal divisions, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said.

Speaking after a meeting of the Parliamentary Bureau, Bou Saab said Berri called for "prioritizing national interests" above all political differences.

Israeli strikes targeted Monday Kfartebnit and al-Qantara, while artillery shelled al-Mansouri and Majdalzoun in south Lebanon.

Artillery also shelled Marjaayoun overnight and strikes hit Wadi al-Hujair, Hadatha and Baraashit.

The U.S. State Department continuously reviews information about foreign mission members accredited to the United States, including any national security concerns, and takes appropriate action consistent with U.S. law and international obligations, a State Dept. spokesperson said, after the Lebanese consul in Detroit was declared persona non grata.

"Terrorists murdered Americans and our colleagues in the bombings of the U.S. Embassy compounds in Beirut in 1983 and 1984. We will never forget them," the spokesperson said.

The U.S. State Department has declared the Lebanese consul in Michigan persona non grata over social media posts attributed to him praising Hezbollah's 1983 attack on the U.S. Marines in Beirut.

A Hezbollah delegation has visited the Justice Palace in Beirut to discuss the case of the Dahr al-Baidar explosives with State Prosecutor Judge Ahmad Rami al-Hajj, MTV reported.

The delegation comprised the head of the Coordination and Liaison Unit Hussein al-Abdallah, MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan and the lawyer Hussein Hammoud.

An Israeli army patrol advanced Friday from the occupied Lebanese town of Kfar Kila toward the outskirts of Deir Mimas and opened fire near several local residents while they were harvesting olives, forcing them to leave the area, the National News Agency said.

The Israeli soldiers also took position on the outskirts of the town, blocking entry and exit, and detained one of the local residents, taking him to an unknown location.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri reaffirmed Friday that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 remains the sole legal framework guaranteeing Lebanon’s sovereignty and full territorial restoration up to its internationally recognized borders.

In a meeting with EU Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra De Waele, Berri stressed that international peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL) serve as the essential operational mechanism to ensure the execution of all provisions of the resolution.