Ambassador of the European Union to Lebanon Sandra De Waele has called for a diplomatic settlement in southern Lebanon, as "Lebanon cannot afford to be dragged further" into war.

On the occasion of Europe Day Thursday, De Waele said that over the past few months, the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon has followed closely the dramatic circumstances unfolding in Gaza and southern Lebanon, and has used every diplomatic channel to call for an end to the hostilities and to the human suffering.

Mount Lebanon Attorney General Tanios al-Saghbeeni on Thursday filed charges against 12 suspects in the so-called TikTok child molestation case, the National News Agency said.

Those charged include five detainees, NNA added.

The opening ceremony of the third edition of the Middle East Clean Energy Exhibition and Conference took place on Wednesday afternoon, May 8th. The event was attended by Minister of Energy and Water Walid Fayad. The exhibition and conference, specialized in clean and renewable energy, showcased cutting-edge technologies, along with a range of related solutions and services. Exhibitors presented their commercial products, including inverters, panels, batteries, solar heaters, and project financing. The event is scheduled to run until May 10th, 2024, at Hotel Phoenicia in the heart of Beirut.

The ceremony began with the Lebanese national anthem, followed by a speech by Beirut Expo's founder, Farhat Farhat, emphasizing the importance of holding such initiatives despite internal challenges and the war in southern Lebanon.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has noted that “it’s not Hezbollah that will decide the end of the war in Lebanon and the south, but rather Israel and Hamas, which are negotiating.”

“Hezbollah considers that it is achieving something by assisting Gaza, but we do not agree to this,” Bassil added, in an interview on RT Arabic.

If the monthslong conflict playing out on the Lebanese-Israeli border continues to escalate, the United Nations food agency won't be ready for the spike in nutritional needs across crisis-hit Lebanon, its deputy executive director said Wednesday.

Clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces began on Oct. 8, a day after Israel started bombarding the Gaza Strip following Hamas' deadly rampage in southern Israel, and the tensions between the two sides continue to intensify.

Israeli bombardment of south Lebanon in seven months of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah has caused more than $1.5 billion in damage, a Lebanese official said.

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement began attacking Israel in support of ally Hamas a day after the Palestinian militant group's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that sparked war in the Gaza Strip.

A Lebanese security source said five people including two Hezbollah fighters were killed Wednesday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, with a Palestinian armed group reporting three fatalities among its ranks.

Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have stepped up cross-border exchanges that have been ongoing following the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as warned that a war with Hezbollah would have “a heavy cost for Israel and a catastrophic one for Hezbollah and Lebanon.”

As he toured Israel’s northern border on Wednesday, Gallant said that while Israel was open to a diplomatic solution on the northern border, the army was also preparing for a possible military operation to allow citizens to return to their homes.

A Lebanese security source said four Hezbollah members were killed Thursday in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the country's south, the latest such raid in months of cross-border hostilities.

Hezbollah for its part targeted newly installed electronic systems in the Ramia post as it announced the deaths of three of its members.

Hezbollah has declared general mobilization to be prepared should Israel decide to expand the war on Lebanon, after the Israeli army seized control of the Rafah border crossing in Gaza, Shiite Duo sources have said.

“International sides have not ruled out that Israel might expand the war as a preventative step, in order to prevent Hezbollah from repeating what Hamas did with its invasion of the Israeli settlements in the Gaza envelope area,” the sources told the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.