Washington is pressuring top Lebanese officials not to allow Hezbollah or its allies to nominate the country's next finance minister, five people with knowledge of the matter said, in an attempt to limit the Iran-backed group's sway over the state.

Complaints lodged by Israel with committee overseeing its cease-fire with Lebanon allege the militant group is being propped up by the infusion of U.S. currency.

United Arab Emirates billionaire Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, who this week scrapped his investments in Lebanon, said the country was still not safe and that he had been threatened with being "slaughtered and killed" last year.

Lebanese officials say firing by Israeli troops has killed two people and wounded 17 in the second day of deadly protests in southern Lebanon

Suhil Bahij Gharb, chief of intelligence for south Lebanon, said to have given terror group material from inside the US, French and UN office tasked with monitoring truce

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that Israel should withdraw from the occupied border areas in southern Lebanon, rejecting the extension of the cease-fire arrangements to Feb. 18.

Hezbollah, one of Lebanon's most powerful political players, has been significantly weakened by its conflict with Israel.

The unusually direct U.S. intervention in Lebanon's sectarian politics appears aimed at capitalizing on shifts in the power balance.

Hezbollah and Israel reached a ceasefire in late November, ending a deadly conflict that began with the Gaza war in 2023. The U.S. confirmed on Sunday that the agreement, which includes a 60-day period for Israeli troop withdrawal, will remain in effect until Feb. 18, extending the original Jan. 26 deadline.

Israel's military said it struck "multiple" Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, two months into a fragile ceasefire with the Lebanese group after major hostilities last year.

The escalation of Hezbollah-Israel war in late 2024, which led to widespread destruction and large displacement, has left 30% of Lebanon's population facing acute food insecurity,