U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that there is a “historic” opportunity in Lebanon and that the U.S. "remains very committed in that regard" and to ensuring there is "a strong Lebanese state."

He added that this Lebanese state should be “respectful of the diversity of that country” and “free of the influence of Iran and Hezbollah and others who might undermine that stability.”

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said that “supplying Hezbollah with rockets is not impossible.”

In a TV interview broadcast Wednesday evening, Ghalibaf said that had he been Hezbollah’s leader, he would have “waged war on Israel at depths of 100 and 200 kilometers.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon, in an interview with Saudi news interactive channel al-Hadath.

"The Lebanese army must regain control of this entire region," Macron said, adding that France will continue to support Lebanon's army.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has said the only force that remains in Lebanon is the legitimate government after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Hezbollah should not be underestimated, describing it as a "continuing force" with influence well beyond Lebanon.

Khamenei said former Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "is gone, but the wealth he created remains."

Hezbollah on Thursday beamed images of its slain leaders Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine on Beirut's iconic Raouche Rock, defying Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and a number of Beirut MPs and anti-Hezbollah politicians.

Hezbollah also beamed the Lebanese flag and a picture of Nasrallah along with ex-PMs Rafik and Saad Hariri.

President Joseph Aoun has met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York. He also met with other American officials including members of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

During his meetings, Aoun urged the U.S. administration to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon and its occupation of Lebanese territories in order for the army to deploy in the south and implement its plan to disarm Hezbollah.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack announced Thursday that the U.S. “continues to support Lebanon’s endeavor to rebuild its own state” and “find peace with its neighbors,” days after his remarks he made sparked concern and outrage in Lebanon and drew responses from Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Nawaf Salam.

In a post on X, Barrack added that Washington also backs Lebanon as it continues “its quest for resolution of its recently signed cessation of hostilities agreement in November of 2024, including the disarmament of Hizballah.”

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei has marked the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah’s former secretary general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, calling him a “great wealth for the Islamic world.”

“He was not just for Shiites or Lebanon. He was a wealth for the whole Islamic world,” Khamenei said. “He is gone, but the wealth he created remains,” he added.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has blasted “the strong opposition that Hezbollah is showing for any cooperation for the rise of the state,” adding that “this is what’s obstructing and delaying everything in Lebanon.”

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, like many other Lebanese, was surprised by U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack's recent comments which questioned the Lebanese government's commitment to disarm Hezbollah following the November 2024 ceasefire with Israel.

In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Barrack had said "the Lebanese, and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, all they do is talk", claiming that there is no real action on Hezbollah's disarmament.