Spotlight
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met Monday at the Grand Serail with the co-chair of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism, U.S. Major General Jasper Jeffers, in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected U.S. and French accusations on Monday that Israel was violating the terms of a truce that came into effect in Lebanon last week.
"I emphasized that Israel is not violating the ceasefire understandings but rather enforcing them in response to Hezbollah’s violations," Saar posted on X, adding that the presence of Hezbollah south of the Litani is "a fundamental violation of the agreement" and that "they must move north."

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on Monday claimed that “Hezbollah was defeated in the last battle” and Israel “must ensure that it does not smuggle weapons into Lebanon through Syrian territory.”

The American University of Beirut (AUB) commemorated its 158th Founders Day on December 2, 2024, with a formal ceremony in the university’s historic Assembly Hall.
AUB Trustee Emerita Carol Bellamy, a globally recognized advocate for education, and a distinguished leader in public service, delivered the keynote address, while the winners of the annual student essay contest presented their perspectives on how AUB can help preserve, protect, and improve pre-university education in Lebanon and the region.

A Lebanese Army officer was found dead inside his car after he was targeted in an Israeli strike, the Lebanese Army said on Monday.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for parliament to convene to elect a president next month to break a gridlock of over two years and reactivate the country's crippled state institutions.
In remarks published Monday in al-Joumhouria newspaper, Berri said he took the initiative without any foreign coordination.

The Israeli army is committed to the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon and the 60-day period is “a gradual phase to ensure the elimination of Hezbollah's threat,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Haggari said on Monday.

The U.S. has joined France in accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire with Lebanon, Israeli reports said on Monday.
Washington has especially complained over the use of drones over Beirut and the message was conveyed to Israeli officials through U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein, the reports said.

Since a fragile ceasefire went into effect last week, Israel has violated the agreement dozens of times. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri counts more than 52.
The number of violations has risen since Speaker Berri's interview with al-Joumhouria newspaper was published Monday, on the sixth day of the truce. An Israeli drone strike wounded Monday a Lebanese army soldier in the eastern region of Hermel, while another drone targeted a motorcycle in Marjaayoun, killing a State Security agent on duty.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, Massad Boulos, has said that Trump has “honored his promise” as to working on achieving peace in the Middle East once elected, noting that the ceasefire in Lebanon was an “achievement” made by U.S. President Joe Biden “in cooperation” with Trump.
“It is our duty to follow up on the ceasefire agreement and we hope it will be quickly implemented the same way it was quickly reached,” Boulos added, in an interview with LBCI television.
