The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Justice, and Europol on July 9-10 convened the fourteenth meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) on countering Hezbollah’s “terrorist and illicit activities,” a U.S. statement said.

The U.S. has said that its position “has not changed” regarding the designation of Hezbollah in its entirety as a “terrorist organization,” following recent remarks in Beirut by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.

President Joseph Aoun said Friday that the decision of monopolizing arms has been taken and won't be reversed, praising Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for his efforts.

Aoun said he appreciated Berri's role in "promoting stability, supporting state rebuilding initiatives, and upholding the principle of state authority, including the monopoly on arms."

Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea has again criticized President Joseph Aoun for his leniency toward Hezbollah as he urged for restoring Lebanon's sovereignty and the state's decision-making capacity to address challenges in the war and crisis hit country.

In a statement Thursday, Geagea said he shares the same goal of building a state with Aoun but they have a different approach toward Hezbollah's disarmament.

Reports circulating about the Syrian government's alleged intention to take escalatory steps against Lebanon are unfounded, a source from Syria's Ministry of Information told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV on Friday.

The source emphasized that the Syrian government considers the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons a top priority and is committed to resolving it swiftly through official channels between the two countries.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri hoped there will positive developments after the Lebanese response to was delivered Monday to U.S. envoy Tom Barack.

A patrol from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday attempted to enter the southern town of Aytit, but was met with resistance from a group of local youths, the state-run National News Agency reported.

According to NNA, the patrol fired tear gas in the direction of the protesters before retreating from the area.

An Israeli drone strike targeted Thursday a motorcycle in the southern town of al-Mansouri, killing one person and wounding two others.

The Israeli army had also targeted overnight a cafe and an aluminum workshop in Yohmor al-Shaqif. It said Hezbollah was using civilian buildings and putting civilian lives in danger, claiming that the cafe and the workshop were "a Hezbollah command center."

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Wednesday with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia.

Aoun said after the meeting that all what he wants for Lebanon, the region and the world is "just peace through dialogue" while Christodoulides voiced Cyprus' support for Lebanon's stability, unity, and territorial sovereignty.

Hezbollah "has recovered and is now ready" to confront Israel in case of an attack on Lebanon, the group's leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a televised interview.

The interview was recorded on June 11 but only broadcast Tuesday on Lebanese pan-Arabist news channel al-Mayadeen.