Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that Israeli forces will stay on the five occupied hills in south Lebanon indefinitely, regardless of any negotiations on disputed border points.

In an assessment of the situation Thursday with army chief Eyal Zamir and senior army generals, Katz clarified that the military will remain at the five points indefinitely, for “the benefit of protecting the residents of the north” and “without any connection to future negotiations on points of dispute on the border.”

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has noted that his government’s top priorities are reform and “the state’s regaining of the war and peace decisions.”

“The state should monopolize arms and it has a duty to extend its authority across its territory with its own forces, as stipulated by the Taif Agreement,” Salam said at an iftar banquet at the Grand Serail.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel "will not give up" the five hills deemed "strategic" it occupies in south Lebanon.

The Cabinet on Thursday approved the appointment of Brig. Gen. Rudolph Haykal as army chief, Brig. Gen. Hassan Shqeir as General Security head, Brig. Gen. Raed Abdallah as Internal Security Forces chief and Brig. Gen. Edgard Lawandos as State Security head.

Lebanon’s negotiations with Israel are “still indirect” and our stance does not support “normalization,” Information Minister Paul Morkos announced Thursday after a cabinet session.

The UK Defense Senior Advisor to the Middle East and North Africa (DSAME) Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren ended Thursday a two-day visit to Lebanon where he met with senior Lebanese and U.N. officials.

Ahlgren congratulated President Joseph Aoun on his election as President and the formation of a new government, which shows hope and change for the future, as he reiterated the UK’s support for Lebanon’s long-term stability and security.

Against the backdrop of the U.S.-led negotiations that have opened with Lebanon, an Israeli political source has said that "the discussions are part of a broad and comprehensive plan."

“The Prime Minister's policy has already changed the Middle East, and we want to continue the momentum and reach normalization with Lebanon. Just as Lebanon has claims regarding the borders, so do we. We will discuss these matters," the source told Israel’s Channel 12.

Consultations between President Joseph Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have led to agreements over security appointments, which will be approved in one batch in Thursday’s cabinet session, media reports said.

The ceasefire monitoring committee met for the sixth time in Naqoura Tuesday. UNIFIL hosted the meeting, with the United States serving as chair, and was joined by France, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israeli army.

The attendees discussed advancing the full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, the full implementation of the November 26, 2024, Cessation of Hostilities arrangement, and next steps for addressing outstanding issues between Israel and Lebanon.

The United States announced Tuesday that it will be “bringing together Lebanon and Israel for talks aimed at diplomatically resolving several outstanding issues between the two countries.”