Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he will not break ties with President Joseph Aoun, emphasizing that the current period demands unified efforts to counter Israeli aggression and challenges.

Berri told An-Nahar in remarks published Tuesday that "seven rounds of negotiations with Israel have taken place from Washington to Rome, while the people of the South are still being killed and their homes destroyed."

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met Tuesday evening in Israel with its prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Joseph Aoun signaled openness to all diplomatic pathways on Wednesday, stating that the primary objective of the ongoing negotiations with Israel is to spare Lebanon from war while protecting its national sovereignty.

"I have outlined the core objectives of the negotiations: sparing Lebanon the scourge of war while safeguarding its sovereignty, stability, and national interests," Aoun said. "I remain open to any option or path that serves these goals, as our ultimate priority is protecting Lebanon and its people."

The Lebanese Army noted Wednesday that “recently, claims attributed to hostile Israeli media outlets have emerged regarding the army’s positions and missions in the south, as well as other fabricated news.”

In a statement, the army affirmed that “the institution’s personnel are committed to its directives and the missions entrusted to them,” and that “they perform their duties out of their belief in their national responsibility to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, away from any other calculations or considerations.”

The Israeli army said Wednesday that it shot down two drones launched by Hezbollah overnight in Ali al-Taher.

Overnight into Wednesday, violent shelling and airstrikes targeted al-Qantara, Beit Yahoun, Kfar Rumman, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Arab Salim, al-Mansouri and the Ali al-Taher ridge.

Marking the anniversary of the declaration of Greater Lebanon, President Joseph Aoun called Tuesday for an immediate halt to conflict, a renewed commitment to national sovereignty, and the rebuilding of strong state institutions to revive the country's economy.

"The true challenge today lies in ending wars, safeguarding sovereignty, moving toward building the state and its institutions, and revitalizing the economy and business sector," Aoun said. "This can only be achieved through a collective return to the state, which alone serves as the sole authority for all Lebanese — united by the National Pact as an inclusive foundation that preserves diversity within unity."

A Lebanese boy succumbed to his wounds after an unexploded Israeli ordnance detonated in the southern village of Haboush, the National News Agency said.

Mohammad Ali Ibrahim, whose father Ali Ibrahim was previously killed in an Israeli attack on southern Lebanon, was injured on Monday alongside another child when a bomb left behind by Israeli forces exploded in Haboush.

Israeli strikes and artillery shelling targeted overnight into Tuesday the southern border town of al-Mansouri and the outskirts of Hadatha and Baraashit.

Nearby in Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, Dhaira and Kfar Remman, the Israeli army carried out strikes and detonations while dropping flare bombs and white phosphorus.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday again lashed out at the framework agreement that was signed in June between Lebanon and Israel.

“The current stage, with its existential risks, does not grant anyone the right to act on any of the sovereign titles under any pretext, whether a framework agreement or secret appendices or otherwise,” said Berri in an annual speech marking the anniversary of Imam Moussa al-Sadr’s disappearance.

Victory over Iran could bring about the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday night.

“It is clear that if this regime is defeated, the path to the final elimination of Hamas and the elimination of Hezbollah is not far off, and we will complete it,” Netanyahu told Channel 14.