Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year.

The peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has roughly 7,500 personnel from nearly 50 countries, and has been in place since 1978.

Defense Minister Michel Menassa met Thursday at his office in Yarze with Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal, who led a delegation comprising members of the Military Council and senior officers of the Army Command.

Israeli news portal Walla on Thursday quoted Israeli and U.S. officials as saying that "there is no agreement between Lebanon and Israel on forming a body to oversee the Lebanese Army's operations in the designated pilot zones."

Defense Minister Michel Menassa expressed Thursday profound regret to the families of fallen military officers, saying in a poignant statement that he felt he had failed them amidst growing political pressures on the armed forces.

"I apologize to the families of our martyrs; today, I feel I have let you down.

The Trump administration has said that Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz’s comments that Israel will not withdraw from certain south Lebanon areas are inconsistent with a framework deal agreed to by Israel and Lebanon.

A U.S. State Department official reaffirmed that the U.S. “expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the framework they agreed to,” which does not include a long-term or permanent Israeli presence in south Lebanon.

Relatives of Lebanese seized by Israel during its last two wars with Hezbollah held a rally in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut on Wednesday to demand information.

Israel is estimated to have seized dozens of people in Lebanon since 2024, including Hezbollah fighters but also numerous civilians. Its military occasionally reports capturing Hezbollah fighters.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday condemned Israel's "systematic destruction" in the country's south as a violation of international law, as Israel's defense minister said its military was "destroying all the houses" there.

Salam said Israeli "attacks, incursions, demolitions and the systematic destruction of homes", infrastructure, government buildings and places of worship "represent a serious violation of the principles and rules of international law and international humanitarian law".

A preliminary agreement has been reached for a new round of negotiations to be held between Lebanon and Israel at the beginning of September, sources told Al-Arabiya television.

They noted that the United States is considering forming a committee comprised of officers from several countries to monitor the framework agreement in Lebanon.

Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday passed an amnesty law, the first of its kind since 1991, that is expected to benefit thousands of prisoners and wanted people.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stressed Wednesday that the Israeli army will not withdraw from the security zone in southern Lebanon.

During a visit to Israeli forces in occupied southern Lebanon, he stated: "I have instructed the Israeli army to take all necessary steps for a long-term presence in the security zone encompassing Lebanon, Syria and Gaza."