“There is fear that any vacuum in the South as a result of UNIFIL's departure could have negative repercussions on stability in the region

President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday told the visiting Irish Foreign and Defense Minister Helen McEntee that "Lebanon desires the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to continue its operational mission during the upcoming year designated for its withdrawal under the Security Council resolution.”

A U.S. State Department spokesman has snapped back at Druze leader Walid Jumblat over remarks voiced in his latest interview.

“In keeping with his long record, Walid Jumblat will do and say whatever is best for Walid Jumblat, with little regard for principle, his own constituency, or the future of his country,” the spokesman said.

Tehran has informed Hezbollah that it does not want its participation in any upcoming war that may be waged by the U.S. and Israel, sources close to Hezbollah said.

The sources told Al-Arabiya’s Al-Hadath channel on Tuesday that Iran "does not need anyone to support it in any potential war because it possesses the necessary capabilities," emphasizing that "the Iranians have not asked the party to participate in any upcoming war."

It is “not true” that Hezbollah gave guarantees that it would not enter the war if a confrontation broke out between Iran and the United States and Israel, a senior Hezbollah official has been quoted as saying.

"We have not given, and will not give, guarantees to anyone in this regard, because the decision of whether or not to enter the war is linked to what happens on the battlefield and what the Israeli enemy might do. Therefore, there is no benefit in confirming or denying this matter," al-Liwaa newspaper quoted the official as saying in remarks published Monday.

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has called for dialogue among Lebanese parties, including Hezbollah and right-wing parties, stressing that it is not possible to annihilate the Shiites who are also Lebanese.

"You cannot annihilate them or tell them to go away," he told his interviewer on Sunday. "Maybe they (Hezbollah) have got weaker but they're still there. Dialogue is the only solution," he said.

In a reading of the Israeli landscape on the eve of elections, a U.S. source said that a victory by Benjamin Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot “will not alter Israel's security fundamentals regarding Lebanon -- foremost among them the disarmament of Hezbollah.”

“The potential difference lies in the style of negotiation, as well as the conditions and timing of withdrawal, while the core dilemma remains Israel's adherence to its occupation under the pretext of Hezbollah's arms, and the latter's retention of its weapons under the pretext of the occupation,” the source told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.

MP Hassan Fadlallah announced Monday that Iran has not asked Hezbollah to intervene militarily if a new war is waged on the Islamic republic.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran did not ask us in the past, nor today, to support it in confronting the American-Israeli aggression,” Fadlallah said.

In southern Lebanon, visual artist Lina Jouni turns shrapnel from Israeli military munitions into sculptures, keychains and decorative objects.

Since 2024, she has collected fragments from the rubble of destroyed homes in Roumin.

Hezbollah has once again informed Speaker Nabih Berri that it will not intervene this time in support of Iran if war breaks out, which Berri has conveyed to President Joseph Aoun, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.

Furthermore, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh was "candid" with a group of MPs from the Shiite Duo during his recent visit to Beirut.

President Joseph Aoun stated Saturday from the Rachid Karami International Fair in Tripoli that "Tripoli has the capacity to be a model of convergence, cooperation, and looking toward the future."

"What I hope for is that we make this visit a milestone to strengthen trust between the state and the city’s residents," said Aoun in the impoverished northern city.