An Israeli military source on Monday criticized the Lebanese Army’s performance in the so-called pilot zones in south Lebanon, noting that “it has not entered private property” there and that its search operations are “partial.”

President Joseph Aoun noted Monday that the Prophet’s Birthday holiday comes this year “as Lebanon faces grave challenges, from repeated Israeli attacks against its sovereignty, land and sons in the South and the various regions, to economic and living crises that are still burdening its citizens.”

The current Israeli movements, detonations, strikes and shelling "appear to be a prelude to a military operation" in south Lebanon, given that the strikes "are targeting all the high ground surrounding the Ali al-Taher hill, especially the al-Dabsheh hill and the al-Tahra hill, two hills that were under Israeli control before the Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000, security sources in south Lebanon said.

The surprising stance of Hezbollah political council member Mahmoud Qmati that the party has not definitively closed the door to direct communication with the Americans, and that the decision will be made according to interests and appropriate circumstances, has raised questions among Hezbollah’s adversaries and allies alike, a media report said.

MP Ali Fayyad, a member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, on Monday pointed out that "it is clear the Americans are pressuring the Lebanese authorities to tighten the noose around Hezbollah and its institutions, even to the point of confrontation.”

The Lebanese Army has outlined its conditions for any future international verification mechanism in south Lebanon, expressing its openness to a technically independent entity, provided that its operations on the ground be conducted in conjunction with the army and under its sovereign authority, al-Binaa newspaper reported on Monday.

Two young men were killed in an overnight strike on Kfar Remman, the National News Agency said Monday.

Hussein Shakaroun and Ahmad Roumani, both 17 years old, were targeted by an Israeli drone while riding their motorbikes.

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.