U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met Thursday in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and they reportedly agreed to “boost cooperation between the two countries in the Lebanese and Syrian files.”

An Israeli drone targeted Friday a car on the road between Nmairiyeh and al-Sharqiyeh in the Nabatieh district, killing one person and wounding five others.

Despite a November ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has kept up its strikes in Lebanon, hitting suspected Hezbollah targets and occasionally those of its Palestinian ally Hamas.

The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Justice, and Europol on July 9-10 convened the fourteenth meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) on countering Hezbollah’s “terrorist and illicit activities,” a U.S. statement said.

The U.S. has said that its position “has not changed” regarding the designation of Hezbollah in its entirety as a “terrorist organization,” following recent remarks in Beirut by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.

President Joseph Aoun said Friday that the decision of monopolizing arms has been taken and won't be reversed, praising Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for his efforts.

Aoun said he appreciated Berri's role in "promoting stability, supporting state rebuilding initiatives, and upholding the principle of state authority, including the monopoly on arms."

Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea has again criticized President Joseph Aoun for his leniency toward Hezbollah as he urged for restoring Lebanon's sovereignty and the state's decision-making capacity to address challenges in the war and crisis hit country.

In a statement Thursday, Geagea said he shares the same goal of building a state with Aoun but they have a different approach toward Hezbollah's disarmament.

Reports circulating about the Syrian government's alleged intention to take escalatory steps against Lebanon are unfounded, a source from Syria's Ministry of Information told the state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV on Friday.

The source emphasized that the Syrian government considers the issue of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons a top priority and is committed to resolving it swiftly through official channels between the two countries.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri hoped there will positive developments after the Lebanese response to was delivered Monday to U.S. envoy Tom Barack.

A patrol from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday attempted to enter the southern town of Aytit, but was met with resistance from a group of local youths, the state-run National News Agency reported.

According to NNA, the patrol fired tear gas in the direction of the protesters before retreating from the area.

An Israeli drone strike targeted Thursday a motorcycle in the southern town of al-Mansouri, killing one person and wounding two others.

The Israeli army had also targeted overnight a cafe and an aluminum workshop in Yohmor al-Shaqif. It said Hezbollah was using civilian buildings and putting civilian lives in danger, claiming that the cafe and the workshop were "a Hezbollah command center."