MP Hassan Fadlallah of Hezbollah on Friday snapped back at Free Patriotic Movement chief Gebran Bassil over recent remarks criticizing the Iran-backed group and the recent wars it has fought.

“Lebanon is in dire need today of honesty, loyalty, and words that unite rather than divide -- a national discourse free from incitement and deception. These qualities have been lost among many who disowned the most fundamental values of loyalty and allegiance to a single homeland, bargaining them away for the cheapest price,” Fadlallah said, apparently referring to Bassil.

President Joseph Aoun praised the army on Monday for defending all Lebanese, including those standing against it. "You defend all our people, even the very few who stand against our homeland and our state," he told army personnel.

"Your weapons are the only legitimate weapons — not by force, nor under anyone's guardianship, but by the trust of all the Lebanese in you and you alone," Aoun added, emphasizing that the people's trust "is the most important and powerful weapon."

MP Hassan Fadlallah on Friday announced that Hezbollah and the Amal Movement are not opposed to a “political solution” for south Lebanon.

"We are not warmongers; rather, these wars were imposed upon us because our destiny -- especially as the people of the South -- is to live next to this Zionist entity. Our people have endured a history rife with aggression, expansionist ambitions, and attempts to seize our villages and towns,” Fadlallah said.

Israeli strikes targeted Friday Bani Hayyan, a region between Kfartebnit and Nabatieh al-Fawqa, the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh and a valley between Froun and Ghandourieh, while artillery shelled Zawtar al-Sharqiyeh, Mayfadoun, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Wadi al-Hujeir, Majdalzoun and the outskirts of Kfartebnit.

Later in the day, Israeli forces set several homes on fire in the southern border town of al-Khiam and carried out a massive detonation in Deir Seryan.

UK Defense Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa (DSAME), Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren, concluded a two-day visit to Lebanon on September 23, the British embassy in Lebanon said.

Israeli forces carried out on Thursday a massive detonation around the city of Bint Jbeil.

Artillery shelled overnight into Thursday Beit Yahoun, Shaqra, Kounine, Hadatha and al-Mansouri, while strikes targeted Mayfadoun, al-Mansouri, Qantara, Wadi al-Hujair and Wadi Slouqi.

MP Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, stated Thursday that "the strength, steadfastness and sacrifices of the Resistance -- combined with the resilience of its people and the powerful regional equation shaped by the Islamic Republic of Iran -- are what will ultimately compel the Israeli enemy to withdraw from our land, enable our people to return, and facilitate the reconstruction of destroyed villages and towns."

"No matter how hard some may try to separate Lebanon from the region's situation, it is impossible to do so, as the issues are deeply interconnected," Fadlallah emphasized.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has commented to reporters in response to the controversy sparked on social media after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to have avoided shaking his hand during a meeting with foreign leaders in New York.

“He shook hands with four people out of 15 present in the room,” Salam told al-Jadeed television. Trump later shook hands with the rest of those present as he was leaving the meeting, the premier noted.

In an interview with L'Orient-Le Jour, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said he would support the framework agreement if it guarantees the total liberation of Lebanese territory.

"I criticized the framework deal for omitting the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which is clearly cited in the Taif Accord and U.N. Resolution 1701," he noted. "However, if it leads to the full liberation of Lebanese territory, I have no problem with it."

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and Minister of State for International Cooperation in the UAE Reem Al Hashimon.

The meetings took place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York and focused on ending the Israeli attacks and occupation and preparing for the post-UNIFIL phase.