Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday warned Lebanese authorities against “continuing their hesitation and slow decisions as to the rise of an actual state in Lebanon,” following U.S. envoy Tom Barrack’s latest remarks that Lebanon risks being swallowed by its neighbors.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has clarified his remarks about the possibility that Lebanon might be swallowed by Syria, after they sparked outrage in Lebanon.

Lebanon risks being swallowed by regional powers unless it acts to address Hezbollah’s arms and implement reforms, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has warned.

An Israeli airstrike on a house in the southern town of Khiam killed one person, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met Thursday in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and they reportedly agreed to “boost cooperation between the two countries in the Lebanese and Syrian files.”

An Israeli drone targeted Friday a car on the road between Nmairiyeh and al-Sharqiyeh in the Nabatieh district, killing one person and wounding five others.

Despite a November ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has kept up its strikes in Lebanon, hitting suspected Hezbollah targets and occasionally those of its Palestinian ally Hamas.

The U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Justice, and Europol on July 9-10 convened the fourteenth meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) on countering Hezbollah’s “terrorist and illicit activities,” a U.S. statement said.

The U.S. has said that its position “has not changed” regarding the designation of Hezbollah in its entirety as a “terrorist organization,” following recent remarks in Beirut by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack.

President Joseph Aoun said Friday that the decision of monopolizing arms has been taken and won't be reversed, praising Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for his efforts.

Aoun said he appreciated Berri's role in "promoting stability, supporting state rebuilding initiatives, and upholding the principle of state authority, including the monopoly on arms."

Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea has again criticized President Joseph Aoun for his leniency toward Hezbollah as he urged for restoring Lebanon's sovereignty and the state's decision-making capacity to address challenges in the war and crisis hit country.

In a statement Thursday, Geagea said he shares the same goal of building a state with Aoun but they have a different approach toward Hezbollah's disarmament.