The disarmament of the first Palestinian camps in Lebanon will begin in mid-June in three Beirut camps, President Joseph Aoun confirmed Monday.

A joint Lebanese-Palestinian committee met for the first time last week following an accord between Lebanese and Palestinian leaders on disarming Palestinian camps as Lebanon seeks to impose its authority on all its territory.

Celebrating the role of Lebanese media in reform and accountability, British Ambassador Hamish Cowell and Canadian Ambassador Stefanie McCollum co-hosted a reception to reaffirm "the essential role of a free media in Lebanon," the British embassy said.

The event brought together journalists, civil society representatives, diplomats, and advocates to recognize the "indispensable role that a free and independent press plays in holding power to account, to reaffirm its essential part in Lebanon’s reform agenda, and safeguarding democratic societies," the embassy said in a statement.

President Joseph Aoun voted Saturday in his southern hometown al-Aishiyeh in the fourth and final round of the country’s municipal and mayoral elections.

Long-time foes Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement both welcomed an agreement between Lebanese and Palestinian leaders to disarm Palestinian camps.

LF leader Samir Geagea said Thursday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has always worked towards maintaining "healthy Lebanese-Palestinian ties" and later called Abbas to discuss the latest developments with him and praise his stance on the camps' disarmament.

Conflicting reports have emerged on whether the Lebanese state has obtained U.S. guarantees that Israel would not threaten the safety of the municipal and mayoral polls that will be held Saturday in south Lebanon.

Despite a rise in Israeli strikes on south Lebanon in recent days, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has called on supporters to go out to municipal polls in the country’s south and secure a "resounding" victory.

Lebanese state media said an Israeli air strike hit a building in southern Lebanon on Thursday after Israel's military issued an evacuation call warning of imminent action against an alleged Hezbollah site.

Israel has kept up its air strikes in neighboring Lebanon despite a November truce aimed at halting more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah that included two months of full-blown war.

British Ambassador to Lebanon Hamish Cowell visited Thursday Lebanon's eastern borders with Syria to see first-hand the UK's efforts to support the Lebanese Armed Forces' (LAF) enhanced border security capabilities.

"This visit underscores the UK's commitment to strengthening LAF capabilities in extending state authority over its border with Syria, countering smuggling activities, and safeguarding local communities," the British Embassy said in a statement.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday called on southerners to vote heavily in Saturday’s municipal and mayoral polls, especially in towns near the border, to tell Israel that “these dear towns will only be Lebanese.”

“The human is Lebanon’s capital and participation in everything that creates the life of the state and society is the path toward freedom, justice and development,” Berri said in an appeal.

The government must set a timeframe not exceeding a few weeks to collect Palestinian arms inside and outside camps and become in charge of security, Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea said Thursday as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Lebanon.

Abbas and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun agreed that Palestinian factions won't use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren't under the authority of the Lebanese state.