Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has argued that Israeli strikes against Hezbollah do not violate Lebanon’s sovereignty, noting instead that the Iran-backed group is the party undermining the country’s sovereignty.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya English, Saar said Israel has only “minor” disputes with Lebanon that could be easily resolved, adding that the real problems stem from Hezbollah and Iran.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri described Thursday a series of Israeli strikes on east and south Lebanon as a "message" to a Paris conference dedicated to supporting the Lebanese army.

The meeting in Paris is taking place today with the Lebanese army chief and American and Saudi officials, at a time when France and the United States are pressuring the Lebanese government to accelerate Hezbollah's disarmament.

The Lebanese Ministry of Labor and the American University of Beirut (AUB), through its Government Engagement Platform (GEP), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a comprehensive framework for long-term collaboration to strengthen Lebanon’s labor sector through evidence, innovation, and institutional capacity building.

The signing ceremony at AUB brought together Dr. Mohamad Haidar, minister of labor; Dr. Fadlo Khouri, AUB president; Dr. Imad Baalbaki, AUB senior vice president for advancement and business development; Dr. Yousof Sidani, dean of the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business at AUB; Dr. Kamal Badr, deputy vice president and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at AUB; Dr. Abla Sibai, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at AUB; Dr. Mohamad Karaki, director general of the National Social Security Fund; and Marlene Atallah, acting director general of the Ministry of Labor, alongside senior university leadership, faculty members, researchers, and representatives from the Ministry of Labor.

A parliamentary session convened Thursday with the attendance of 67 MPs -- barely meeting the required quorum --, despite a boycott by the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb MPs in protest against Speaker Nabih Berri's refusal to amend the electoral law regarding expatriate voting rights.

The session will discuss a loan by the World Bank for the reconstruction of war-hit regions in Lebanon.

Israeli strikes targeted Thursday heights in Jouroud al-Hermel in eastern Lebanon and several other regions in the south.

In the east, the strikes targeted Zaghrine. In the south, the Israeli military struck Iqlim al-Tuffah, al-Jabbour and al-Rihan heights, and Zawtar near the Litani river.

Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab met Wednesday at the Baabda Palace with President Joseph Aoun.

“We discussed the parliamentary (elections) juncture and the current hurdles that are in its way, seeing as bickering and provocation cannot lead to parliamentary elections,” Bou Saab said after the meeting.

President Joseph Aoun announced Wednesday that he has resorted to negotiations with Israel in order to “consolidate security and stability, especially in the South,” stressing that “negotiation does not mean surrender.”

“We are counting on the stances taken by U.S. President Donald Trump and his interest in the issue of peace, and we’re doing our part in this regard,” Aoun added, in a meeting with a delegation from the World Lebanese Cultural Union.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea on Wednesday called on all MPs to boycott Thursday’s legislative session, while accusing Speaker Nabih Berri of “blackmailing the North’s MPs over the Qoleiat airport clause.”

Geagea also urged voters “who want expats to vote for the 128 seats at their places of residence abroad to pressure the MPs whom they voted for to boycott the session.”

Two Hezbollah members were killed Tuesday in two Israeli drone strikes in south Lebanon and the Chouf district, the Israeli army said.

In the Chouf district town of Sibline, near Sidon, around 40 kilometers from the nearest border with Israel, a pickup truck was targeted, resulting in the death of one person and the wounding of several others, Lebanese media reports said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Tom Barack discussed in their meeting on Monday a framework to “continue civil dialogue with Lebanon, with expectations that it will soon expand to additional areas,” diplomatic sources told the Israel Hayom newspaper.

Two weeks ago, a first meeting took place between Israeli and Lebanese civilian representatives, laying the groundwork for ongoing talks concerning both “preventing Hezbollah's re-armament and issues related to the border line and IDF (Israeli army) activity in Lebanese territory,” Israel Hayom said.