🇱🇧🇮🇱 The regional landscape shifted dramatically following U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s recent visit to Beirut and Damascus, where he reportedly facilitated key meetings between Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi. While Lebanese officials remain tight-lipped about the content of their U.S. response to Washington’s proposals, Israeli military activity has surged in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli army announced limited ground operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border. The IDF’s 91st Division dismantled weapon depots and rocket launchers near Jabal Blat and Labouneh. An underground weapons storage facility was also destroyed. These moves align with what analysts describe as a calculated pressure campaign following Barrack’s warning that Lebanon must act to prevent ongoing Israeli military incursions.

Meanwhile, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun visited Cyprus, reaffirming bilateral ties with President Nikos Christodoulides. Discussions focused on regional stability and reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to U.N. Resolution 1701. The EU’s €1 billion support package for Lebanon is now in final stages of release.

In a separate development, Reuters confirmed that thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon will return to Syria this week under a U.N.-backed plan offering $400 per family. The new Syrian government has welcomed repatriation efforts, marking a major shift in regional refugee dynamics.