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Israel says struck weapon storage in Hawsh Tal Safiyeh in Baalbek

An Israeli airstrike targeted on Tuesday night a building in the Hawsh Tal Safiyeh area in the Baalbek district.

The Israeli army said it struck a weapons storage facility belonging to Hezbollah's Aerial Defense Unit in the area of Beqaa in Lebanon.

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Ortagus says Hezbollah 'cancer', hopes Lebanese would 'cut it out'

Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus dubbed Tuesday Hezbollah a "cancer," after she ended a diplomatic visit to Lebanon where she met with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

"The past ten years have been devastating for Lebanon, the financial crisis, the port explosion, and militias around the country, especially Hezbollah who has a state within a state," Ortagus said in an interview with al-Arabiya, blaming the Lebanese group and Iran for a devastating war with Israel with "catastrophic consequences."

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Salam says Lebanon, Syria can 'turn over new page'

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will visit Damascus soon with a ministerial delegation to meet with Syria's new president Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Salam told Annahar newspaper, in remarks published Tuesday, that Lebanon can turn over a new page with Syria after a "good" call he had with Sharaa.

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Higher Defense Council tasked with 'devising plans' for disarming Hezbollah

The former government tasked the Higher Defense Council with “devising plans for removing weapons with the least possible damage” and Nawaf Salam’s government is “still endorsing the same plan and will not back down,” Minister of the Displaced and State Minister for Technology Affairs and Artificial Intelligence, Kamal Shehadeh, said.

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US says Ortagus was 'encouraged by frank discussions' in Lebanon

U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus was “excited to be back in Lebanon” to meet with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Speaker Nabih Berri and Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, the U.S. Embassy said.

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Aoun says Lebanon committed to reforms, disarming Hezbollah

President Joseph Aoun vowed Monday that Lebanon is committed to reforms and to Hezbollah’s disarmament, revealing that efforts to devise a "national security strategy" will begin "soon."

"Lebanon needs time and space to resolve these matters calmly," Aoun said, adding that disarming Hezbollah would happen through dialogue and communication. "Hezbollah after all is a Lebanese component and the Israeli occupation of the five hills (in south Lebanon) would not help Lebanon but only complicate the situation further."

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Normalization with Israel 'unthinkable' and Ortagus did not mention it, Berri says

Parliament Speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri has told Deputy U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus that her past stances were not "encouraging" but said his meeting Saturday with her was "positive", al-Joumhouria newspaper said Monday.

In her last visit to war-hit Lebanon on February, Ortagus voiced from Baabda pro-Israel statements. "We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah," Ortagus said, adding that the United States has set a "red line" that Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon's next government.

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Aoun and Berri discuss outcome of Ortagus' visit to Lebanon

President Joseph Aoun met Monday at the presidential palace with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

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Israeli army chief assesses situation on Lebanese border

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir conducted an assessment of the situation on the border with Lebanon on Sunday “in preparation for the (Jewish) holidays,” the Israeli army said.

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Israeli helicopters and quadcopters bomb Naqoura and Aita al-Shaab overnight

Israeli Apache helicopters fired missiles at prefabricated homes in the southern coastal border town of Naqoura overnight after opening machine gun fire across the town, the National News Agency said.

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