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.

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.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be staking out differing approaches to carrying out President Donald Trump's national security agenda as the possible 2028 presidential rivals jostle for position in a divided Republican Party.

With vastly different backgrounds and policy experience, they have moved along separate paths to stake out territory: Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants with a long history in the Senate and major interest in Latin America, and Vance, a child of the Midwest and Marine Corps veteran who served in the Senate for only two years before being tapped as Trump's 2024 running mate, with a message of opposing foreign wars.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, vowing that the Israeli army would stay in the area as long as Hezbollah remained a "threat".

His comments came after Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement under U.S. sponsorship last week to supposedly pave the way for peace between them and disarm Hezbollah.