Lebanese authorities are holding two U.S. citizens on suspicion of gathering information in Beirut's southern suburbs, considered a Hezbollah stronghold, officials said.

The U.S. citizens were carrying cameras and smartphones, and drew the suspicion of Hezbollah members who detained them before handing them over to Lebanon’s military intelligence for questioning. That’s according to two Lebanese judicial officials and a security official.

The U.N. peacekeeping chief says Lebanon's armed forces have significantly increased their deployment in the south near the border with Israel over the past two months.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix spoke to the U.N. Security Council in a video briefing from Beirut.

Lebanon's new president said on Saturday Israel must withdraw from the country's south by the January 26 deadline set to fully implement the terms of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreed last year.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has accused Israel of hundreds of violations of a ceasefire, to be fully implemented by next week, and warned against testing "our patience."

His remarks came during a visit to Lebanon by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called for Israel to end military operations and "occupation" in the south, almost two months into the ceasefire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has said that the Palestinian people's sacrifices aborted Israel’s attempts to erase “the Palestinian cause.”

In comments aired on the group's Al-Manar TV, he also said Lebanon's government has to firmly prevent Israeli violations of the U.S.-brokered 60-day truce aiming to end the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

António Guterres said the international community will back Lebanon “for what we believe will be a speedy recovery of this country, making it again the center of the Middle East.”

The U.N. Secretary-General made his comments on Saturday following a meeting in Beirut with Lebanon’s newly elected president Joseph Aoun. A new prime minister was also named to form a government following Aoun's election last week.

Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam met with President Joseph Aoun on Friday evening to brief him on the outcome of his non-binding consultations with lawmakers and his talks with Speaker Nabih Berri.

Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday announced that "the course is headed toward a solution" as to the issue of the Shiite Duo's participation in the new government.

French President Emmanuel Macron held a bilateral meeting Friday at the Baabda Palace with Speaker Nabih Berri, the National News Agency said.

Contacts intensified over the past hours, through mediators between Baabda and Ain el-Tineh, in order to contain the dismay of Hezbollah and Speaker Nabih Berri, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Friday.