U.S. special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack went further on the defensive on Sunday, responding to criticism of his assessment of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

He had said "there are two people missing from that (negotiating) table – Hezbollah and Iran." That remark prompted speculation Barrack meant Tehran and Hezbollah should join the U.S.-backed negotiations.

Lebanon on Sunday arrested an online influencer known for his videos about food who had been handed a life sentence in absentia for drug trafficking, a judicial source told AFP.

Georges Dib, known on TikTok as "Doctor Food" and followed by more than eight million accounts, was apprehended at his home in the far north governorate of Akkar, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hezbollah Political Council member Mahmoud Qmati announced overnight that the Iran-backed party is not completely closing the door to direct communication with Washington, and that the decision will be made based on interest and the appropriate circumstances.

"The resistance has decided to be patient and give the existing political process a chance, with the aim of achieving complete liberation and the withdrawal of the occupation from Lebanese territory," Qmati said in an interview on al-Manar television.

Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki, a diplomat who represented Quito in the United States, has entered the race to lead the U.N., the head of the General Assembly said in a letter Tuesday.

The World Bank has projected that Lebanon's economy would contract by 6.4 percent this year, as the latest Israel-Hezbollah war derailed the country's efforts at recovery.

Hezbollah on Friday hit back at the U.S. administration over its announcement that the group is under the control of Iran’s Quds Force, the expeditionary arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Amid conflicting reports about the situation in the Ali al-Taher area, which continues to come under Israeli airstrikes, a prominent Hezbollah source confirmed that the group "has no intention of surrendering the Ali al-Taher hill to the Lebanese Army, the enemy, or any other party.”

President Joseph Aoun is leading an effort, in cooperation with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, to pursue a military cooperation agreement between Lebanon and the European Union with the aim of bringing in a European military force to replace UNIFIL, whose mandate expires at the end of this year, al-Akhbar newspaper reported.

“Aoun appears to be operating on the premise that such an agreement requires neither a Cabinet decision nor a law passed by Parliament ... and he is relying on strong support from the United States, which still prefers that European participation be limited to specific countries, with a particular focus on Italy,” the daily said.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Defense Minister Michel Menassa visited Friday the Lebanese Army's South Litani headquarters in the southern city of Tyre.

Salam urged the army to maintain its unity, assuring the soldiers that his government is mobilizing all available Arab and international support to enhance human capabilities, modernize equipment, and improve living conditions for military personnel.

The United States announced new sanctions Thursday against an alleged Hezbollah financing network, while highlighting the Lebanese armed group's close ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Hezbollah's legal designation as a terrorist organization has been amended to note that it operates in "service to the Iranian regime under the command of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," particularly the elite Quds Force, the Treasury Department said in a statement.