Lebanon

The European Union Council adopted a decision establishing a support mission for Lebanon with an initial three-year mandate. Its military and civilian components are intended to advise and train the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, including on border security, maritime security, and port management. President Joseph Aoun welcomed the decision and pledged cooperation. Operational planning was continuing, and a separate Council decision would be required before the mission’s launch.

Lebanese Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar received Germany's ambassador, Thomas Zanaysen, at his office during a protocol visit marking the ambassador's assumption of duties. According to Lebanon's National News Agency, the meeting included discussions of developments in Lebanon and the wider region, alongside bilateral relations between Lebanon and Germany. The report did not identify specific agreements, commitments, or policy decisions arising from the meeting. The engagement represented routine diplomatic contact between Lebanese authorities and the newly appointed German representative.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam addressed the opening of the 67th Arab and International Book Fair, emphasizing the connection between restoring state authority, implementing economic reforms, and advancing reconstruction. He argued that lasting stability requires the state to exercise exclusive authority over decisions of war and peace. Salam also called for ending Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory, stopping attacks, enabling displaced residents to return safely, and rebuilding affected communities. The address outlined the government's stated political priorities without announcing a specific new implementation measure or binding agreement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed a decision by United States President Donald Trump to cancel presidential restrictions affecting air transportation with Lebanon. Aoun described the measure as an indication of confidence in Lebanon's aviation safety and security procedures. He recalled raising the issue with Trump during a July meeting at the White House and thanked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his involvement. The Lebanese presidency expressed hope that the decision would facilitate air connections and strengthen bilateral cooperation. The article did not specify when commercial flights would resume.

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported Israeli artillery shelling in several areas of southern Lebanon on October 8. The reported strikes targeted Wadi Zibqin and the town of Mansouri during the morning, following earlier shelling around Hadatha, Baraachit and Wadi Zibqin at dawn. The article provided no confirmed casualty figures or detailed damage assessments. The incidents occurred against the background of continuing tensions following a June 20 ceasefire announcement, after which the frequency of Israeli attacks had reportedly declined.

During his October 7–8 official visit to Cyprus, Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal inspected military facilities, including the CYCLOPS Training Center and the Joint Rescue Coordination Center. At the training centre, he met Lebanese military officers undertaking courses, while the broader programme included briefings on exercises, operational missions and joint Lebanese-Cypriot training activities. The visits provided an opportunity to review existing military training and rescue coordination. The report does not specify which day each inspection occurred or announce new training commitments.

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal undertook an official visit to Cyprus on October 7–8 at the invitation of Cypriot National Guard chief Emmanouel Theodorou. Haykal met Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas and Theodorou at the Cypriot Defense Ministry, where they discussed developments in Lebanon and the wider region, shared security concerns, and ways to strengthen bilateral military cooperation. The visit also included military honours and a wreath-laying ceremony. The supplied report confirms discussions on cooperation but does not identify a newly signed defense agreement.

The Lebanese Army announced that its personnel intercepted a smuggling operation in the mountainous outskirts of Arsal, near the Syrian border, on October 7. Soldiers exchanged gunfire with suspected smugglers without reported injuries. The army seized five pickup trucks carrying approximately five tonnes of copper and tin, alongside a large quantity of tobacco products. One Lebanese citizen was arrested, and the confiscated materials were transferred to the relevant authorities. Judicially supervised investigations were initiated following the operation.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for addressing gaps in the Taif Agreement, agreeing on interpretations of its provisions and completing reforms that remain unimplemented. Speaking in Beirut during the constitution’s centenary, Salam highlighted the unfulfilled creation of a Senate, political deconfessionalization and expanded administrative decentralization. He also stressed that weapons, legitimate force and sovereign decisions concerning war, peace and national security should remain exclusively within state institutions, while warning against recurring constitutional paralysis in presidential elections and government formation.

Lebanese lawmakers called on the UN Security Council to reconsider Resolution 2790 concerning the end of UNIFIL’s mandate, arguing that the force should remain until Israel withdraws and the Lebanese Armed Forces can assume full responsibility across southern Lebanon. The lawmakers prepared a legal memorandum seeking changes to the timing and mechanism of UNIFIL’s withdrawal. They warned that a premature departure could create a security vacuum and increase the risk of direct friction between Lebanese and Israeli forces. نواب-لبنانيون-يطالبون-بإبقاء-ا…

Lebanon was informed by the US mediator that an eighth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations was being prepared for October 20 in Florida, although the date remained subject to final confirmation. The planned talks would take place at the military level under US sponsorship. According to a source cited by Asharq Al-Awsat, Lebanon intends to raise ceasefire implementation, Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, expansion of the Lebanese Army’s deployment and arrangements for areas from which Israeli forces could withdraw.

Israeli forces carried out explosions in the southern Lebanese towns of Mays al-Jabal, Majdal Zoun, and Zawtar al-Sharqiya, while artillery fire targeted Wadi al-Salouqi and several homes on the western outskirts of Mays al-Jabal. The report also said an Israeli Merkava tank positioned in the town of Bayyada fired artillery shells toward Mansouri. The operations occurred alongside broader Israeli military activity and changes in force deployment across southern Lebanon.