Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told Lebanon's president on Thursday that Damascus had no intention of intervening militarily in his country, despite U.S. pressure to do so, according to the Lebanese presidency.

Shaibani, who also invited President Joseph Aoun to Syria, is visiting Beirut, where he met parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, for the first time.

A ceasefire sounds straightforward: Fighting stops. Negotiations ensue. Ordinary citizens get a break from fighting — and some time to rebuild.

That's not what's happening in the volatile Mideast, where ongoing fighting still resembles a war long after ceasefire agreements were announced and President Donald Trump declared victory.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday defended the framework agreement that Lebanon has signed with Israel, saying that if it gets implemented, it should lead to an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

It would also "allow our displaced people to return to their villages and homes in a safe and dignified manner," Salam told LBCI television.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has discussed with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner the latest developments in the negotiations with Iran and the current situation in Lebanon.

"President Joseph Aoun denied on Wednesday rumors about his willingness to dismiss Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal and the heads of security agencies, saying these claims are "unfounded."

"Their roles remain vital to maintaining national security and enforcing state sovereignty," Aoun said of Haykal and security agencies' leaders.

Israeli forces opened fire Wednesday on a civilian vehicle in Ibl al-Saqi and bulldozed roads and uprooted trees from Hamoul and Naqoura to Aita al-Shaab in south Lebanon.

Israeli troops also detonated houses overnight in Beit Yahoun, Hadatha, and al-Tiri, shelled the outskirts of Beit Yahoun, and machine-gunned the main road from Kounine to Bint Jbeil.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his pursuit of "total victory" against Iran and its proxies "never ends."

In a televised interview with Israeli Channel 14, Netanyahu said Israel "is stronger than ever", adding that "when you’re strong, people form alliances with you, and they make peace with you as well." "There are understandings with Lebanon that nobody foresaw," he said.

MP Ibrahim Moussawi, a member of Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, has launched a scathing verbal attack on Lebanon's ruling authorities over the framework agreement that has been signed with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that Iran has "tried to force" Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, but stressed that such a move "will not happen."

Israel's defense minister said Wednesday that Israeli forces would remain in self-proclaimed "security zones" established in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, without any timeline for withdrawal.

"The IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza indefinitely in order to protect our residents and communities from jihadist elements," Israel Katz said.