MP Ali Fayyad of Hezbollah on Friday charged that the Lebanese leadership "has abandoned its people, indifferent to their suffering and the extent of the crimes committed against them by the Israelis."

"This ruling authority seems to have become corrupt and is persisting in its choices despite all the failures and despite all the advice and criticism directed at it from abroad and within, even from its allies," Fayyad added.

It was just before sunrise when the last columns of Israeli tanks crossed from Lebanon back into Israel and then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who ordered the withdrawal, said the homecoming of Israeli troops sent "shivers down his spine."

That was May 24, 2000, the day Israel ended its 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon.

The European Union and Lebanon held Thursday a 4th meeting of a Sub-Committee on Transport, Energy, Environment and Water, the EU delegation to Lebanon said.

"The meeting builds on ongoing efforts to strengthen cooperation in key sectors, which the EU has significantly supported in recent years, amid current challenges," the European delegation said.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz told his U.S. counterpart Pete Hegseth early Thursday that Israel is determined to keep its forces in "security zones" it has carved out inside Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Katz's office said the two men spoke overnight and the minister "emphasized Israel's determination to remain in the security zones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon in order to protect Israel's borders and the communities near the border from the threats posed by jihadist forces".

MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan of Hezbollah stressed Thursday that Hezbollah “will not hand over the weapons.”

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah lashed out Friday at President Joseph Aoun for playing "partisan" politics and "fueling division" instead of uniting the war-torn country.

Fadlallah accused Aoun of "turning the presidential palace into a partisan platform for factions whose history and alignments are well-known."

Baabda sources on Thursday categorically denied rumors circulating about a possible meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that this matter is “completely off the table, even if they happen to be in Washington at the same time.”

Syrian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles through the Iraqi-Syrian border, the Syrian interior ministry has announced.

An Israeli-Lebanese-U.S. military meeting will be held electronically on Friday to discuss military details, finalize the two pilot zones, and determine the start date for implementation.

Israeli warplanes targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa and the outskirts of Baraashit and Beit Yahoun in southern Lebanon on Thursday, while artillery shelled Rshaf.

The National News Agency said two strikes targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa and a third strike targeted Ali al-Taher hill on the outskirts of the town.