Morgan Ortagus, the US deputy Middle East envoy, made it clear that Washington wants to ensure that Hezbollah is not part of the Lebanese government that Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam intends to form and remains disarmed, while Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement in southern Lebanon.

Ortagus added that "Israel was able to defeat Hezbollah, and we congratulate it on that," and she also conveyed to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun the congratulations of US President Donald Trump on his election as president.

Aoun met with Ortagus today, Friday, at Baabda Palace, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese presidency on its website on the "X" platform, and Ortagus affirmed her country's support for Lebanon and the Lebanese, she said.

In the same context, diplomatic sources reported that the message conveyed by Washington to Beirut includes an indication that Lebanon will be exposed to greater isolation and economic devastation unless it forms a government committed to reforms and is committed to eliminating corruption and limiting the influence of Hezbollah.

Reuters quoted a "senior official" in the US administration as saying, "It is important for us to clarify what we would like to see the new Lebanon look like in the future," stressing that Washington does not choose specific members of the cabinet, but seeks to ensure that Hezbollah does not participate in the government.

Israeli violations

On the ground, Israeli warplanes launched a raid on the town of Al-Bissariyeh in the Sidon district in southern Lebanon today, Friday, in an escalation of Israel's ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement.

The Lebanese News Agency reported in a brief news item that "a violent explosion was heard in the town of Al-Bissariyeh - Tebna neighborhood, which turned out to be the result of an Israeli raid on the town."

On the other hand, the agency noted that the Israeli army carried out bombing operations in two stages in the border town of Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon.

On November 27, 2024, a ceasefire agreement ended an exchange of shelling between the Israeli army and Hezbollah that began on October 8, 2023, and turned into a full-scale war on September 23.

The agreement included a 60-day deadline during which Israel would withdraw from the towns it had occupied in southern Lebanon during the war.

But Tel Aviv violated the agreement by refusing to implement the full withdrawal during this deadline, which ended at dawn on January 26, before the White House announced an Israeli-Lebanese agreement to extend the deadline until February 18.

The Israeli aggression on Lebanon resulted in a total of 4,098 deaths and 16,888 injuries - including a large number of children and women - in addition to the displacement of about 1.4 million people.