An Israeli drone targeted Wednesday a car in Jwayya in south Lebanon, hours after a meeting of the committee monitoring a year-long ceasefire.

Israel has intensified its strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon in recent days, saying it has struck targets from both the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group and its Palestinian ally Hamas.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has said that the government’s “top priority” is Hezbollah’s disarmament, noting that the government took six months to reach a firm decision on undertaking this task.

“It was late, but the government is committed,” Rajji said in a Zoom interview with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The United States Embassy in Beirut said Wednesday that it welcomes the reform steps undertaken by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's government, including the Cabinet’s approval of the gap law.

In a statement, the embassy said the gap law would help restore the confidence of international financial institutions, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, in the Lebanese economy and support its recovery.

By Kamran Talattof, University of Arizona

A familiar slogan has echoed through the streets of various Iranian cities in recent days: "Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I sacrifice my life for Iran."

The ceasefire monitoring committee, which includes representatives from the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), met Wednesday in Naqoura in south Lebanon.

The meeting was only military and was not attended by civilian representatives. Last month, Lebanon and Israel appointed the first civilians to lead their delegations to the ceasefire monitoring committee, after a request from the United States.

President Joseph Aoun told visiting U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix that Lebanon welcomes any country's wish to maintain forces in the south after UNIFIL's withdrawal in 2027.

"These forces will assist the Lebanese army, which will be increasing its personnel in the coming weeks," Aoun said Wednesday after he met Lacroix.

Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed two people on Tuesday as Israel said it targeted Hezbollah operatives, a day before a new meeting of the committee monitoring a year-long ceasefire.

Israel has intensified its strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon in recent days, saying it has struck targets from both the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group and its Palestinian ally Hamas.

Israel's air force struck areas in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday and early Tuesday, including in the country's third-largest city.

A strike around 1 a.m. Tuesday leveled a three-story commercial building in the southern coastal city of Sidon, a few days before Lebanon's army commander is scheduled to brief the government on its mission of disarming Hezbollah in areas along the border with Israel.

President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday condemned Israel's latest strikes on Lebanon, saying they undermine efforts to prevent escalation.

Aoun's criticism came after Israel launched a series of strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, saying it hit Hezbollah and Hamas targets.

The Israeli military launched strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanese state media reported, after warning it would hit what it called Hezbollah and Hamas targets in four villages.