The visit of the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, has brought the presidential election issue back to the forefront.

Parolin conveyed the Pope's desire to expedite the election of a president, noting that "the problem is everyone's responsibility. Of course, Christians have a particular responsibility, especially in electing the president, but they are not alone." He announced that "the solution to the crisis begins in Ain el-Tineh."

For his part, Zaki stated that resolving the presidential vacancy requires more consultation among politicians. He affirmed that "the Arab League stands fully with Lebanon."

Following the warning from Hezbollah's Secretary-General to Cyprus and the ensuing tension, the Cypriot Ambassador to Lebanon declared, "We will not allow our land to be used for attacks on any country, especially Lebanon."

On the ground, the Israeli army intensified its attacks on southern areas. In response, Hezbollah announced targeting sites used by Israeli soldiers.

Amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, with fears of a large-scale Israeli operation in the south, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, expressed concern about this possibility. He warned that the war reaching Lebanon would ignite a broader conflict.

Regionally, Tel Aviv expects the International Criminal Court to soon issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

Netanyahu responded to Galant, saying that "disagreements are not resolved behind closed doors, so I have to speak publicly to get what our fighters need."

Galant had emphasized in Washington the importance of resolving disagreements with President Joe Biden's administration privately. In a sign of differing stances with Netanyahu, Galant stated that Israel firmly supports the ceasefire agreement reached by President Biden and is committed to returning all hostages home without exception.

Galant also pledged to facilitate humanitarian aid to Gaza and discussed with Sullivan the need to change the security situation on the border with Lebanon.

Separately, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Egypt's rejection of Israel's military control over the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side. He warned of escalation and increasing risks of expanding the conflict, which could have negative consequences for the region's security and stability.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi also considered the risks of expanding the war in the region to be real and increasing. He emphasized, "We will not clean up after Netanyahu and will not send replacement forces to Gaza."

In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated that his country stands by Lebanon, calling on regional countries to support it amid tensions with Israel. Erdogan accused Western countries of "supporting" Israel's plans to attack Hezbollah. He warned that Netanyahu's plans to expand the war to the region would lead to a major disaster.

Internationally, the Dutch and German Foreign Ministries urged their citizens to leave Lebanon due to the risk of escalation at the borders.

Similarly, the EU Foreign Policy Chief noted that Lebanon, Israel, and the region cannot afford another war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the situation in Gaza and the Palestinian territories as a tragedy. He urged the international community to make Israel aware of the risks of expanding the conflict to Lebanon, stressing that the current Israeli approach in handling the Middle East conflict has significant drawbacks.

Meanwhile, the White House announced, "We are still working with Netanyahu and his team to reach a ceasefire to end the conflict." It added, "We will not respond to every statement from Netanyahu and focus on providing Israel with what it needs."

Economically, crude oil and gasoline inventories in the United States have risen, while distillate stocks have fallen.