United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka and United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix have briefed the Security Council on the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006). The Security Council was meeting in closed consultations to discuss the latest report of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the implementation of the resolution, the U.N. said in a statement.

Deeply concerned by the escalation in the exchanges of fire across, and increasingly beyond, the Blue Line, the Special Coordinator said these repeated violations of resolution 1701 increase the risks of miscalculation and further deterioration of an already critical situation.

Change MPs Firas Hamdan, Najat Saliba, Yassine Yassine, Paula Yacoubian and Melhem Khalaf have condemned an “incitement and treason accusations campaign” against fellow MP Ibrahim Mneimneh, after he criticized the appearance of Jamaa Islamiya gunmen in Beirut during the funeral of a group fighter who was killed by Israeli fire in south Lebanon.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has told the ambassadors of the member states of the five-nation group for Lebanon, as he met them Monday in Bkerki, that the call for dialogue to elect a president surprises him.

"The Constitution is the highest law, so why are we trespassing it?" Bkerki's spokesperson Walid Ghayad said.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday warned that if the caretaker government “appoints 234 customs agents not including a single Christian,” it would be “insisting on excluding Christians from the state.”

As UNIFIL marked the 46th anniversary of its establishment today, Tuesday, its leadership renewed calls for all actors to "put down their weapons, recommit to Security Council Resolution 1701, and work toward a political and diplomatic solution," a statement said.

“Resolution 1701 has been challenged by current events, but it remains as relevant and necessary as ever,” said Head of Mission and Force Commander Aroldo Lázaro. "We call on all parties to commit to implementing the resolution in full. Our more than 10,000 peacekeepers continue their critical monitoring, de-escalation, and liaison work, and we stand ready to support a peaceful resolution to the current situation," he added.

Israeli warplanes struck Tuesday Marwahin and a house in the southern border town of al-Odaisseh, as the war enters its sixth month.

Israeli artillery later shelled the outskirts of Tayr Harfa and al-Naqoura.

Israeli warplanes struck Monday a house in the border town of Mays al-Jabal and a building in al-Odaisseh.

Border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have de-escalated in the past few days as Gaza truce talks gained steam.

Lebanon’s General Security directorate on Monday briefly detained outspoken political activist Makram Rabah following interrogation over an interview in which he attacked Hezbollah and talked about alleged Hezbollah arms storage and manufacturing sites.

Qatari Ambassador to Lebanon Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has invited former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil to visit Qatar to discuss the presidential file with top officials there, Nidaa al-Watan newspaper said.

The daily reported Monday that Al-Thani will visit other political leaders soon to invite them to talks in Doha.

The ambassadors of the member states of the five-nation group for Lebanon, which comprises the U.S., France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, met Monday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

"The meeting was very good," Berri said, adding that there will be other meetings. "There is an agreement that an understanding must be reached and a president must be elected."