President Aoun meets new ceasefire monitoring chief as Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill six in two days

The new head of the ceasefire monitoring committee for Lebanon met President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut on Thursday, as Israeli airstrikes on the country killed six people over the past two days, the latest in a series of Israeli violations of a truce with Hezbollah.

The meetings marked US Gen. Joseph Clearfield's first official visit to the Lebanese capital since assuming his post and formed part of efforts to reinforce the fragile ceasefire agreed last November between Israel and Hezbollah, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Clearfield briefed Aoun and the other officials on the committee's agenda and said meetings would "become regular to consolidate the cessation of hostilities in the South", NNA reported. The talks were also attended by US Chargé d'Affaires in Lebanon, Keith Hanigan, as the US ambassador, Michel Issa, is yet to assume office.

"Lebanon has abided by the ceasefire agreement since its announcement and places great hope on the work of the supervisory committee to help restore stability to the South and prevent Israeli aggression," Aoun told Clearfield at Baabda Presidential Palace.

President Aoun reaffirmed that the Lebanese army was "fully carrying out its duties south of the Litani River and continues to strengthen its deployment day by day", NNA reported.

He called for "pressure on Israel to withdraw from the territories it occupies so that the army can complete its deployment up to the southern borders".

Aoun also noted that the army had "cleared the areas it has entered, eliminated armed manifestations, uncovered tunnels, and seized weapons and ammunition, despite the geographic challenges of the South".

During a separate meeting at the Grand Serail, PM Salam told Clearfield that Lebanon was "committed to completing the disarmament process south of the Litani River before the end of the year", but stressed that Israel must also "withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories and stop its ongoing aggressions".

Berri, who met the delegation at Ain al-Tineh, raised "Israel's ongoing daily attacks, including airstrikes targeting civilians and infrastructure".

He described Israel’s continued occupation of Lebanese areas along the border as "a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and of UN Security Council Resolution 1701".

Clearfield expressed hope for "noticeable progress regarding the ceasefire's enforcement and Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territories it still occupies", according to NNA.

The meetings took place just hours before Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes on Friday, killing two people in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh province.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, the strike targeted a civilian car in the town of Toul, killing two people and wounding two others.

The attack had followed Thursday's airstrikes in the Bekaa and south Lebanon, which killed four people, including an elderly woman and several school students.

Israeli warplanes also conducted multiple low-altitude flights across Lebanese airspace on Friday.

The latest escalation coincided with a helicopter tour by Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji and UNIFIL forces along Lebanon's southern border and the Blue Line.

US envoy Tom Barrack was expected to visit Beirut soon, sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, although no date has been set.

"This visit could prove crucial to reviving diplomatic efforts and preventing further escalation," one official said, noting that Israel was "trying to pressure Lebanon with fire to impose its terms".

The official added that Beirut had fulfilled key obligations under the ceasefire, including restricting weapons to state forces, and that the Lebanese army would submit its second report on its disarmament plan next month, to ensure the south is free of arms by the end of the year.

Israel has continued bombing Lebanon despite the November ceasefire, which formally ended more than a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah. Under the deal, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to dismantle its forces in the area.

Under US pressure and amid fears of a wider escalation, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, in a step the group and its allies strongly oppose.

Since the truce, Israeli attacks have killed more than 320 people in Lebanon, according to a count by the Lebanese daily L'Orient–Le Jour, and destroyed homes, infrastructure, and farmland across the south.