President Joseph Aoun announced Friday that the return of the Lebanese captives held in Israel “represents a priority in the negotiations,” adding that “contacts are ongoing for their release.”

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said he hoped Hezbollah's leader Sheikh Naim Qassem "understands that Iran cannot use Lebanon, or a segment of the Lebanese Shiites," to negotiate its nuclear program "or anything else".

Jumblat said Thursday night that Lebanon is "between the Israeli hammer and the Iranian anvil" that is trying to send messages to the U.S. through Lebanon.

Lebanon has recently appointed a civilian, Former Lebanese Ambassador to the United States Simon Karam, to lead Lebanon's delegation to the ceasefire committee.

Speaker Nabih Berri, a staunch ally of Hezbollah, said the negotiations' priority must be a halt to the Israeli attacks and that Israel must show its readiness to withdraw from at least one position of the five hills it is occupying in south Lebanon.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was surprised that his Lebanese counterpart declined an invitation to visit Iran, proposing instead to meet Araghchi in a "neutral third country".

Minister Youssef Rajji said on Wednesday that he could not accept Araghchi's invitation to visit Tehran "under the current circumstances."

Israeli warplanes carried out Friday a series of strikes on several regions in south Lebanon and West Bekaa, despite Lebanon recently moving to negotiations with Israel.

The strikes targeted several regions including Ansar-Zrariyyeh, Iqlim al-Tuffah and al-Rihan heights in south Lebanon, and Zillaya in West Bekaa.

Several Democratic lawmakers have called for the Israeli and U.S. governments to fully investigate a deadly 2023 attack by the Israeli military on journalists in southern Lebanon.

The October 13, 2023 airstrike killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and wounded six other reporters, including two from AFP -- video journalist Dylan Collins and photographer Christina Assi, who lost her leg.

President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday wrapped up an official visit to Oman, which has reportedly accepted his request to act as a mediator between Lebanon and Israel, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Thursday.

The daily added that Oman is expected to “communicate with Tehran to soften its stance, prevent any obstruction of the negotiation track and guarantee that Hezbollah will not resort to escalation or to impeding any possible settlement.”

Israel is heading toward an escalation in Lebanon, according to an Israeli media report that quoted an Israeli security official as saying that "Hezbollah will not give up its weapons through the (ceasefire) agreement" and that an escalation is inevitable, but its timing is yet to be decided.

"We will decide its timing in accordance with our security interests," the official reportedly said.

The Americans are very interested in Lebanon on all levels, especially as to the situation on the southern border, and they want to end the conflict and avoid a repetition of the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, informed diplomatic sources said.

The U.S. wants diplomacy to prevail in order to “give a chance for restoring stability, prosperity and investments in Lebanon, Israel and the region,” the sources told al-Binaa newspaper in remarks published Thursday.

Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives have held this month their first direct talks in decades, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the move "an initial attempt to establish a basis for an economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon."

Lebanese leaders said Lebanon is "far from" diplomatic normalization or economic relations with Israel. So what was really said during the first talks that included civilians in Naqoura?