Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday delivered a speech to the Lebanese people from the Grand Serail, addressing the current economic situation and the challenges facing citizens amid rising prices and living burdens.

Salam began his address by acknowledging the burdens borne by citizens, particularly the increase in private electricity generator bills over the past two months, as well as the pressures imposed by rising fuel prices that force some families to choose between securing fuel and meeting other household needs.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri accused Israel on Thursday of never abiding by its agreements, in a meeting with U.S. Senator James Lankford in Ain el-Tineh.

Berri told Lankford as they met Thursday that "at no point has Israel abided by any of the agreements reached, from Resolution 425 to Resolution 1701, the November 2024 agreement, and up to the tripartite framework agreement."

President Joseph Aoun met Thursday in Baabda with U.S. Senator James Lankford in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.

“They discussed the latest developments regarding the situation in the South, the continuation of Israeli aggression, and the progress of the framework agreement," the Presidency said.

State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott dismissed reports that Hezbollah is receiving fresh cash from Iran, describing the militant group as "decimated" and accusing it of attempting to cover up its financial plight through propaganda.

Pigott said Hezbollah’s claims of financial backing are unfounded given Tehran’s ongoing economic crisis.

President Joseph Aoun met Thursday in Baabda with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and told her “there is an interconnected link between the stability of Lebanon and the stability of Europe and the region.”

“The Lebanese Army is fully carrying out its duty in the areas where it has deployed south of the Litani River in implementation of the framework agreement, while Israel continues to refrain from implementing its provisions,” Aoun added.

Israeli artillery shelled overnight into Thursday Wadi Zebqine, al-Mansouri and Hadatha, while strikes targeted Baraashit, Kounine, Kfartebnit, Wadi Slouqi, Bani Hayyan and al-Mansouri.

Israeli forces also carried out on Wednesday night a massive detonation in Kounine.

President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday warned that “there are attempts to politicize and exaggerate the economic situation for political ends.”

There is “talk about a rise in the U.S. dollar exchange rate and crises similar to what occurred in 2019 -- all aimed at creating confusion and marginalizing efforts to revive Lebanon, which is something that cannot be allowed," Aoun added.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has called for the immediate disarmament of Hezbollah, rejecting that the government is acting under international pressure.

"Many people think that the Lebanese government has to dismantle Hezbollah because the U.S., the Arabs, and Israel are asking for it," Geagea said Tuesday. "This is false. Dismantling Hezbollah is a Lebanese necessity and a priority for the Lebanese population before anyone else."

The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel “shook the world and served as a reminder of the Palestinian cause,” Hezbollah said Wednesday in a statement marking three years since the operation, describing the action as “courageous, qualitative, natural, justified, and a legitimate act of resistance given the scale of injustice.”

Israeli artillery shelled overnight into Wednesday the southern villages of Wadi Zebqine, Kfartebnit, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, and Arnoun, while strikes targeted Wadi Slouqi.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said its forces have struck 28,000 targets in Lebanon and Syria, since October 7, 2023.