Lebanese President Joseph Aoun announced during a government meeting over the past hour ending at 4:46 PM UTC on December 4, 2025, the appointment of Ambassador Simon Karem as head of Lebanon's delegation to the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, approved after discussions with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, according to a presidency statement reported by LiranHaroni on X. Aoun noted that yesterday's committee meeting yielded no results but paved the way for future sessions starting December 19, expressing hope for negotiation over confrontation. The Lebanese army commander presented a monthly review of operations on disarmament south of the Litani River during the same meeting, per the presidency statement. The Lebanese NBN channel reported that Aoun denied claims Ambassador Karem discussed economic cooperation with Israel, stating Karem addressed cessation of aggression, return of prisoners, Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, and the five points. Aoun clarified no direct dialogue occurred between Karem and the Israeli representative, ruling out normalization or peace agreements. Lebanon's Minister of Information Paul Marcus stated post-meeting that Karem's role covers security issues only. In a related development within the reporting window, Reuters reported that Israel conducted strikes on two towns in southern Lebanon, following an Israeli military evacuation order for buildings in those towns.
