Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea has long opposed electing a president through dialogue. "All possible dialogues have led to nowhere," Geagea told MTV on Monday night.

Geagea revealed that MPs from his party have been talking to Amal MPs but that all dialogues were "fruitless," accusing Hezbollah and its allies of clinging to their presidential candidate, Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh. "This won't be a real dialogue," he said.

Kataeb Party chief Sami Gemayel has accused Hezbollah of seeking to “legalize its weapons through a certain alignment and a loyal president.”

Armed forces retirees protested Tuesday their low salaries and blocked the Karantina road with burning tires.

"Our demand is to live in dignity," a protester said.

France’s new foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné arrived Tuesday in Lebanon and met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Séjourné is scheduled to meet key Lebanese politicians in Beirut, after stops in Egypt on Saturday, Jordan on Sunday and Israel on Monday.

Hezbollah targeted Tuesday Israeli troops and positions including a command center in northern Israel as Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling targeted Lebanese border villages.

Hezbollah said it has targeted the Beit Hillel command center, inflicting casualties and groups of soldiers in the Jal al-Alam, al-Marj, and Ramim posts. The group had earlier targeted the Ramim post with Burkan missiles. It said all attacks were "direct hits."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that an Israeli victory against Hamas in Gaza will deal a "fatal blow" to the Palestinian militants as well as other Iran-backed groups in the region.

"A complete victory will deal a fatal blow to the axis of evil that is Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis and of course Hamas," Netanyahu said in an address to army commanders, according to a statement issued Monday by his office.

Senior White House adviser Amos Hochstein held talks overnight with senior officials in the Israeli government as part of American efforts to ease tensions on the border between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, as Israel’s Channel 12 reported “positive indicators and initial signs towards a diplomatic path that may lead to a political settlement that ensures that the war does not expand.”

The channel added that Hochstein brought with him to Israel “indications that there is room for a diplomatic settlement,” and said that these signals would not have existed “without the tacit approval” of Hezbollah.

Amal Movement is fighting "in front of Hezbollah" in south Lebanon, head of the movement and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said.

Amal has not announced any attack on Israel since the cross-border clashes began between Hezbollah and Israel on October, but its chief told al-Jadeed TV on Sunday that Amal is "resisting" in the south "within its military capabilities," which are far inferior to those of Hezbollah.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Monday "time is running out" to reach a diplomatic solution in south Lebanon, as tensions flare between the two countries, with daily cross-border fire.

"Israel will act militarily to return the evacuated citizens" to its northern border area if no diplomatic solution is reached to end the violence, Katz told his visiting French counterpart Stephane Sejourne, according to a statement issued by the Israeli foreign ministry.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has heard from the Quintet's ambassadors that there is no veto on any presidential candidate.

Berri told al-Jadeed TV on Sunday that all the ambassadors including the Saudi ambassador have told him that the Quintet has no candidates and no veto on any name but would rather help the Lebanese choose their own president.