Shafaq News- Beirut

On Monday, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa said efforts are underway to stabilize southern Lebanon and facilitate the return of residents to border villages, as Israeli officials signaled that military operations in the country will continue despite a reported halt in strikes on Iran.

Following a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Issa stressed, according to local media, that the border area would not become an uninhabited buffer zone. Instead, residents would be able to return to their homes under conditions that ensure security, stability, and the restoration of basic services.

The ambassador described US efforts as focused on supporting Lebanon through the ceasefire process, securing the return of territory and detainees, and creating the conditions for a broad reconstruction program, noting that these issues are being discussed alongside wider regional developments.

Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 quoted a senior Israeli official as saying that Israel had halted strikes on Iran at the request of US President Donald Trump. The official added that operations in southern Lebanon would continue "at full strength" in the coming days and warned that Beirut's southern suburbs could again be targeted if attacks on Israeli settlements persist.

Earlier today, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced the end of its military operations against Israel after launching four waves of missile attacks in response to an earlier Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs. The command warned that any further attacks, particularly in southern Lebanon, would trigger a stronger response.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated what he described as the "Dahye Equation," under which attacks targeting Israeli settlements would be met with strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs. Defense Minister Israel Katz also rejected Iran's conditions for halting hostilities and pledged a forceful response to any Hezbollah “violation” in southern Lebanon.