President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that a security deal and an end to Israeli attacks were needed before any meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sought by Washington.

Aoun's office said in a statement that the president "reiterated his view that the timing is not appropriate now for a meeting" with Netanyahu, and quoted Aoun as saying: "We must first reach a security agreement and stop the Israeli attacks on us before we raise the issue of a meeting between us."

Israeli police on Monday warned people not to defy the cancelation of a major pilgrimage near the border with Lebanon, scrapped because of hostilities with Hezbollah, while local media reported thousands had gathered at the site.

Fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah is ongoing in southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire in effect since mid-April.

Hezbollah said its forces clashed with Israeli soldiers on Monday in south Lebanon near the border where its troops are still operating, despite a ceasefire since April 17.

Hezbollah in a statement said that after Israeli troops attempted to advance near the town of Deir Seryan -- which is inside the Israeli-declared "yellow line" where Lebanese residents have been told not to return -- its fighters "opened fire on the enemy force and engaged in heavy clashes with them".

A Hezbollah lawmaker urged Lebanese authorities on Monday to declare the U.S. ambassador "persona non grata" after the envoy suggested those who had offended Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi should leave the country.

The controversy erupted on Saturday after a video published by Lebanese television channel LBCI caricatured Hezbollah leaders and fighters as characters from the "Angry Birds" mobile phone games, triggering sectarian-tinged debate.

Speaker Nabih Berri has said "eyes must be kept on Islamabad," because of the information he obtained from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, which contained "a dose of reassurances and guarantees that Lebanon will be included in Iran's negotiations with the U.S. and that its file is at the top of the agenda," a Shiite Duo source said.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met Monday with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Speaker Nabih Berri.

Speaking from Bkerke before heading to Ain el-Tineh, Issa said he respects Berri who "is doing what he can for Lebanon".

Washington has informed Israel that the ceasefire with Lebanon will remain in place regardless of any developments with Iran, Israel's Channel 12 said on Monday.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that he only supports "indirect diplomacy" as he lashed out again at Lebanon's plan for direct talks with Israel.

"There is no ceasefire, but rather a continuing Israeli-American aggression," Qassem said, adding that there are no yellow lines or buffer zones — "and there won't be".

UNESCO has released a rapid overview on the impact of escalating conflict on education systems in the Arab States, highlighting a regional emergency affecting over 100 million children.

Across the region, millions of learners are experiencing disruption through school closures, shifts to remote learning, or reduced access. Learning loss is deepening at an unprecedented scale, while the risk of permanent dropout is rapidly increasing. Psychosocial distress has reached critical levels, affecting both learners and teachers.

Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon killed at least one person and wounded four rescuers on Sunday, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel maintained its attacks on the country despite a fragile truce.

In separate statements, the ministry said a strike on Arabsalim killed at least one person and wounded three, including a child, and another strike on Srifa wounded five people including four rescuers from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, as the strike hit near one of their centers.