The Lebanese military delegation to the talks with Israel will carry a package of proposals that are not limited to establishing a ceasefire and stopping hostilities but extend to releasing Lebanese captives held by Israel and discussing the formation of an international force with U.N. Security Council’s backing to replace the UNIFIL peacekeeping forces immediately upon the expiration of their mandate at the end of this year, a ministerial source directly involved in the negotiations said.

The ministerial source also told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s participation in the U.N. General Assembly meetings enabled him to rally support for Lebanon's viewpoint calling for deploying an international force to replace UNIFIL.

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.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that its forces have struck nearly 100,000 targets across the region, including 28,000 in Lebanon and Syria, since October 7, 2023.

According to the report, 20,000 rocket launches have been fired toward Israeli territory from Lebanon over the same period.

Minister of Energy and Water Joe Saddi on Wednesday informed President Joseph Aoun of the reasons that led him to announce his boycott of Cabinet sessions.

During the meeting at the Baabda Palace, Saddi emphasized "his commitment to continue assuming his ministerial responsibilities," expressing his hope that these reasons will be addressed.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Wednesday that the Taif Agreement “focused on the importance of extending state authority over all of its territory using its own inherent forces,” stressing that this is “the baseline without which no true state can emerge.”

“Taif did not separate political reform from the restoration of state authority, the dissolution of militias, and the restriction of legitimate force exclusively to state institutions," said Salam at a ceremony marking the centenary of the Lebanese constitution.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem announced Tuesday that "Israel will not be able to remain in southern Lebanon," stressing that Israeli withdrawal is the only "solution."

"The liberation of southern Lebanon is before our very eyes, and Israel will not be able to remain in southern Lebanon, even if it takes time," said Qassem in a televised address.

Discussions at the Lebanese-Israeli military meeting on October 20 will focus on mechanisms for establishing verifiable security arrangements, media reports quoted U.S. State Dept. officials as saying.

“This includes forming a verification committee to ensure that the area south of the Litani River is free of armed appearances, positions and facilities, alongside monitoring Israeli withdrawals and the deployment of the Lebanese Army,” the reports said.