Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Monday with a U.S. treasury delegation in Beirut, headed by senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, as Washington works to cut off Hezbollah's funding and Lebanon's government tries to disarm it.
Deputy director for counter-terrorism John Hurley had said after the delegation met President Joseph Aoun on Sunday that Lebanon can only be free, prosperous and secure if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran's funding and control.
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Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has said his government is not just working on disarming Hezbollah but is also working on reforms, yet disarmament is needed to attract investments.
In a televised interview aired on Sunday evening, Salam said the government is also unanimously committed to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, ending the Israeli occupation and daily attacks, and releasing the Lebanese prisoners from Israeli jails.
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One person was killed Monday in an Israeli drone strike that targeted his car on the Baysariyeh-Sarafand road in south Lebanon, putting the toll from Israeli strikes since Saturday at six.
Israeli airstrikes later targeted al-Qatrani, al-Mahmoudiyeh and al-Jarmaq in south Lebanon, a pickup truck in Hermel, and the Shaara region in the Bekaa.
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Israel has warned the U.S. administration that Hezbollah is rehabilitating itself has also warned the Lebanese Army that if it does not act against Hezbollah, Israel’s attacks on Lebanon will increase, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation has reported.
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President Joseph Aoun on Friday noted that “Lebanon is committed to the cessation of hostilities agreement, while Israel is still occupying the five hills and increasing its attacks on it.”
Aoun voiced his remarks in a meeting in Baabda with a delegation from the World Bank.
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The United States will continue using every tool at its disposal to ensure Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to the Lebanese people or the broader region, the U.S. department of state said in a statement, after it imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members accused of involvement in financial transactions for Hezbollah.
"The United States is committed to supporting Lebanon by exposing and disrupting Iran’s covert financing of Hizballah. By enabling Hizballah, Iran holds Lebanon back and undermines its sovereignty. Iran and Hizballah cannot be allowed to keep Lebanon captive any longer," the statement said.
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The UNIFIL peacekeeping mission has said the latest wave of Israeli strikes on south Lebanon "undermines the progress being made toward a political and diplomatic solution".
Israeli jets had struck several towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday after urging residents to leave, marking an escalation in their near-daily strikes on the country.
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Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday that only the state has the war and peace decision, a day after Hezbollah said it has the right to defend itself against Israel.
Salam said the government is working on monopolizing weapons and ending Israeli attacks and occupation. "There are no more empty promises, but rather practical steps," he vowed.
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A senior Israeli military official has warned that Israel would attack targets in Beirut if the Lebanese army fails to disarm Hezbollah.
"If the Lebanese army does not disarm Hezbollah and fails to meet the demands of the ceasefire, Israel, with U.S. backing, will attack Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut," the official told Israeli Channel 12, hours after Israel struck a series of targets in southern Lebanon.
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Cabinet met Thursday in Beirut to follow up on a plan to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in the country drafted by the Lebanese military.
Army chief Gen. Rudolph Haikal briefed the government for the second time on its plan to disarm Hezbollah, while Israel carried out airstrikes in south Lebanon.
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