President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday warned against ending the United Nations peacekeepers' mandate in the country's south, after the U.N. Security Council began debating extending their mission.

The annual mandate renewal this year comes after Lebanese authorities, under heavy U.S. pressure, have committed to disarming Hezbollah by year end, following a November ceasefire deal that sought to halt more than a year of hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Israel.

The United Nations Security Council began to debate Monday a resolution drafted by France to extend the U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon for a year with the ultimate aim to withdraw it.

Israel and the United States have reportedly opposed the renewal of the force's mandate, and it was unclear if the draft text has backing from Washington, which wields a veto on the Council.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday told visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack that the government’s latest decisions on Hezbollah’s disarmament “stemmed from the higher national interest.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday asked visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack about Israel’s commitment to the ceasefire agreement and its withdrawal from Lebanon, stressing that “this is the gateway to stability in Lebanon and an opportunity to launch reconstruction and pave the way for residents’ return to their towns, in addition to securing the requirements for supporting the Lebanese Army.”

An unnamed Israeli official on Monday responded to remarks by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, who is visiting Lebanon, by saying that “there is no intention to keep occupying Lebanese territory.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that “the bombing on Lebanon is taking place according to the ceasefire agreement.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a “dialogue” on the government’s decision to monopolize arms in the hands of the state, rejecting the manner in which Cabinet took its latest decisions on Hezbollah’s disarmament.

President Joseph Aoun said in an interview that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s paper “became a Lebanese paper” after Lebanon “introduced its remarks to it.”

President Joseph Aoun told visiting U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Monday that Israel and Syria need to commit to the “joint declaration paper,” after Lebanon endorsed a U.S.-backed plan for Hezbollah to disarm.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Monday called on Israel to honor commitments under a ceasefire that ended its war with Hezbollah, after the Lebanese government launched a process to disarm the militant group.

Under the November truce agreement, weapons in Lebanon were to be restricted to the state and Israel was to fully withdraw its troops from the country, although it has kept forces at five border points it deems strategic.