Lebanon is mourning musician and composer Ziad Rahbani, son of iconic singer Fairuz and a musical pioneer in his own right, who died on Saturday aged 69 after a decades-long career that revolutionized the country's artistic scene.

Tributes poured in for Rahbani, also a playwright and considered the enfant terrible of Lebanese music, who left a huge mark on multiple generations with his often satirical plays and songs that for many reflected a deep understanding of Lebanon's political and economic reality.

Ziad Rahbani, a visionary Lebanese composer, playwright, pianist and political provocateur, died on Saturday, at the age of 69, according to the state-run National News Agency.

The death was confirmed by a person close to Rahbani who spoke on condition of anonymity. The cause of death was not immediately clear.

Lebanon demanded in its response to the U.S. paper that Israel “actually commit to the ceasefire and withdraw from the areas it is still occupying, in return for the start of discussions with Hezbollah on the issue of monopolizing arms in the hands of the state,” sources concerned with the negotiations said.

Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati called Friday for unity in Lebanon amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to disarm after a bruising war with Israel.

"We are ready for dialogue about a defense strategy," Qmati said, adding that only national unity could help Lebanon and warning that divisions among the Lebanese people would only serve Israel.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has reminded that during his latest visit to Beirut, he stated that Hezbollah is “an issue that must be resolved by the Lebanese themselves,” reaffirming a “long-standing position of the United States -- that Hezbollah represents a challenge which only the Lebanese government can address.”

An Israeli drone strike on Friday targeted a Renault Rapid vehicle in the southern town of Baraashit, killing one person and wounding another, the Health Ministry said.

The Israeli army identified the slain man as Ali Mohammad Hassan Qassan, claiming that he was "the head of Hezbollah's manpower for the Bint Jbeil sector."

U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack will reportedly discuss Lebanese proposals with Israeli officials in Paris where he is holding talks with Syrian and Israeli officials on de-escalating sectarian violence in Syria, Lebanese newspaper al-Binaa said.

Barrack was visiting Lebanon before heading to Paris amid ongoing domestic and international pressure for Hezbollah to disarm after a bruising war with Israel.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held talks Thursday in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron after which he thanked France for "its continued support for Lebanon and its security, sovereignty and prosperity."

"I return to Beirut reassured by French President Emmanuel Macron's commitment to assisting Lebanon, renewing UNIFIL's mandate, and strengthening our bilateral relations, particularly in the areas of security, economy, education and culture," Salam added, in a post on the X platform.

One of France's longest-held inmates, the pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, arrived in Beirut on Friday, having been released from prison after more than 40 years behind bars for the alleged killings of two diplomats.

A wave of Israeli airstrikes targeted the Iqlim al-Tuffah heights and the area between Ansar and al-Zrariyeh in south Lebanon on Thursday evening, with the Israeli army claiming that the strikes hit "Hezbollah military sites, including arms depots and a rocket launchpad."

The violent strikes, which have become frequent in recent months, came a day after U.S. envoy Tom Barrack departed Lebanon after a three-day visit in which he discussed the thorny issue of Hezbollah's disarmament amid Israel's continued occupation of five hills in south Lebanon and its daily assassinations against suspected Hezbollah operatives.