Hezbollah is preparing for a massive turnout for the funeral on Sunday of its slain leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, an opportunity for a show of strength by the group after a bruising war with Israel.

Nasrallah's death nearly five months ago in a huge Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs left Hezbollah supporters in disbelief and sent shockwaves across Lebanon and the region.

President Joseph Aoun stressed Wednesday to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz the need to “end Israel’s occupation of the remaining points” in south Lebanon and to “continue implementing the Nov. 27, 2024 agreement to guarantee boosting stability in the South and enforcing Resolution 1701.”

President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that he supports “the freedom of peaceful expression,” but stressed that “the violations that occurred days ago, such as the blocking of roads and attacks on the army and citizens, are unacceptable practices and will not be repeated.”

Lebanese official media said Israel struck a vehicle in the south on Wednesday, killing one person -- the first death since Israeli troops withdrew from most of the border area a day earlier.

"An enemy drone struck a vehicle... in the town of Aita al-Shaab," near the southern border, the official National News agency said, reporting one person was killed.

The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday it is open to a new loan agreement with Lebanon following discussions with its recently-appointed finance minister.

Lebanon's civil defense recovered 23 bodies from several border towns on Tuesday after Israeli troops withdrew under a ceasefire deadline, according to a statement carried by official media.

"Specialized teams today... managed to remove 14 bodies from Mais al-Jabal, three from Markaba and three from Kfar Kila, in addition to three from Odaisseh," said the civil defense statement published by the state-run National News Agency.

Ali Qashmar walked into his south Lebanon hometown on the Israeli border Tuesday to find bulldozed fields and piles of rubble where there used to be neighborhoods brimming with life.

"We came back to breathe the air of our lands and village, and we found our homes destroyed," said Qashmar, 74, from Odaisseh.

Flights from Baghdad to Beirut are nearly at capacity as airlines increase services ahead of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's funeral, officials said.

The pro-Iran group has called for a huge turnout when Nasrallah, killed in a September Israeli strike, is laid to rest near the Lebanese capital on Sunday.

Lebanese troops deployed Tuesday in the main square of the southern border town of Kfar Kila, as a military bulldozer removed rubble from the street.

President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday Lebanon was in contact with Washington and Paris, which helped broker an Israel-Hezbollah truce, to press Israel to complete its withdrawal from the country after the deadline passed.