The United States on Monday announced the launch of the “pilot zone” process in south Lebanon.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri hopes a meeting set for Tuesday between President Joseph Aoun and U.S. President Donald Trump will yield positive results.

Berri told local news platform al-Afdal, in remarks published Monday, that he only cares about reaching a real solution, regardless of where that solution comes from.

President Joseph Aoun’s meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday was “successful and positive” and the two men discussed “all files,” U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said.

President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Presidency said, during a visit by the president to the United States.

Israeli warplanes conducted mock raids Monday over Lebanon's northern border, Akkar's heights and al-Hermel.

In the south of the country, drones dropped stun bombs on al-Mansouri and Marjaayoun, and Israeli forces carried out a massive explosion in the town of Kfartebnit.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press briefing that Lebanon must be run by a legitimate government, "not Hezbollah, not Iran".

"You defeat and replace Hezbollah with a government that is strong enough to be the sole force of arms in the country, basically with the security of Lebanon in the hands of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and a government that’s able to provide prosperity for its citizens."

President Joseph Aoun met Sunday in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ahead of his meeting Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump.

A State Dept. statement said Aoun and Rubio discussed "the implementation of the Trilateral Framework" that also involves Israel, with the Secretary commending "the courage of the Government of Lebanon, under President Aoun's leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace." 

Israeli occupying forces opened machine gun fire overnight, trapping a number of residents in the southern town of Harees, who appealed to the Lebanese Army to evacuate them.

German Foreign Minister Johannes Wadephul has proposed deploying a European Union force in Lebanon to replace the U.N. peacekeeping mission whose mandate is soon to expire, in order to prevent a security vacuum.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the two-decade-long campaign to restrict weapons solely to state authorities and bolster national sovereignty has yielded significant milestones.

In an interview published Friday in the Saudi daily Okaz, Geagea lauded the Lebanese Cabinet, arguing that its participation in direct negotiations with Israel in Washington is a primary indicator of change and a proof that Hezbollah has been defeated.