Netanyahu Reportedly Warns Aoun to Disarm Hezbollah or Face Escalation

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa reportedly told President Joseph Aoun that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would accept nothing less than Hezbollah's disarmament and would escalate attacks on Lebanon otherwise, according to Nidaa al-Watan. The message, conveyed during a meeting the previous week, prompted Aoun to convene security chiefs to draw up contingency plans and discuss reinforcing army and security deployment across the south, particularly Nabatieh, following resident appeals after the recent escalation. Separately, nearly 400 Lebanese public figures — including legal and human rights experts — signed a petition calling for a stronger army presence in Nabatieh, stressing 'this city does not belong to any political group' amid concern over territorial expansion by armed factions.