Lebanon's judiciary approved the release on bail of former economy minister Amin Salam on Tuesday after six months of detention over corruption linked to contracts deemed suspicious, a judicial official said.

Salam, who served in the cabinet of former prime minister Najib Mikati from 2021 to 2025, is the only ex-minister to be arrested since the start of Lebanon's economic crisis in 2019.

An Israeli force made a 600-meter incursion Tuesday into the southern border town of Dhayra, planting booby-trapped empty ammunition boxes in the al-Sari neighborhood, the state-run National News Agency said.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their meeting on Monday to “continue the dialogue regarding Lebanon,” diplomats told the Israel Hayom newspaper.

In a post on the X platform, Barrack said the meeting involved “constructive dialogue working towards regional peace and stability.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Tuesday Speaker Nabih Berri of bypassing 65 MPs who demanded to amend the electoral law in order to allow expats to vote for all 128 seats.

"Berri's call for a legislative session next Thursday is a bypass and a slight against the opinion of the 65 MPs who boycotted it."

U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced new remarks about Hezbollah and the situation in the Middle East.

Over the past weeks, the U.S. has increased pressure on Lebanon to work harder on disarming Hezbollah and canceled a planned trip to Washington last month by Army chief Gen. Rodolph Haykal.

U.S. officials were angered in November by a Lebanese army statement that blamed Israel for destabilizing Lebanon and blocking the Lebanese military deployment in south Lebanon.

The European Union and Lebanon held Monday in Brussels the ninth meeting of the EU–Lebanon Association Council. The two sides reviewed the state of EU–Lebanon relations and reaffirmed their shared commitment to enhancing the bilateral partnership within the framework of the Association Agreement and partnership priorities.

The EU reaffirmed its support to the reforms initiated by President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and the new Lebanese government and reiterated its ongoing commitment to support Lebanon’s democratic institutions.

President Joseph Aoun announced Monday that “domestic and external contacts are ongoing to consolidate security and stability in the South through negotiations via the Mechanism committee, which will hold a meeting on Friday.”

“The choice of negotiations is the alternative to a war that will not yield any result, but will rather inflict further harm and ruin to Lebanon and the Lebanese without any exception,” Aoun said, in a meeting with a delegation from the Tashnag Party.

The U.S. administration is currently preventing Israel from escalating its strikes in Lebanon, pressing it to settle for limited attacks, Israel’s Channel 12 said.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has told President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that he is against postponing the parliamentary elections from spring to summer, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported Monday.

The daily said Aoun and Salam proposed to delay the elections to the summer holiday when expats are in Lebanon for them to be able to participate in the vote.