The Israeli army claimed overnight that the Iranian Quds Force and Hezbollah have been exploiting civilian flights landing at Beirut airport over the past few weeks in an alleged attempt to “smuggle funds aimed at arming Hezbollah with the objective of carrying out attacks against the State of Israel.”

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber on Wednesday thanked Speaker Nabih Berri for backing his nomination to the post and President Joseph Aoun and PM Nawaf Salam for their “confidence.”

U.S. deputy special envoy for Middle East peace Morgan Ortagus is due to visit Beirut this week, local media reports said, in her second visit to Lebanon since her appointment.

The visit will focus on Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon on Feb. 18, al-Joumhouria newspaper said Wednesday.

The Free Patriotic Movement responded Wednesday to remarks voiced overnight by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam regarding the negotiations that resulted in the exclusion of the FPM from the new government.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has announced that the FPM will practice “positive opposition” in the face of the new government, noting that it will follow up on a number of files it had “struggled” for.

Israel asked the Trump administration on Monday for another extension to the deadline for the Israeli army withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but won’t get it, a U.S. official told The Times of Israel.

The ceasefire monitoring committee has been informed that the Israeli army is asking to stay in some points in south Lebanon until February 28, LBCI TV reported on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday threatened to resume fighting in the Gaza Strip unless the Israeli hostages in Gaza are released.

"If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end, and the IDF (Israeli army) will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated," Netanyahu said in a video message.

With the already extended deadline for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon fast approaching, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly asked U.S. President Donald Trump to support a further extension of the Israeli army’s deployment there.

Speaker Nabih Berri has told his visitors that he fears that Israel will not withdraw its forces from south Lebanon by the February 18 deadline, despite the reassurances of the countries that sponsor the ceasefire monitoring committee.