Chinese shares close higher Friday

Chinese stocks closed higher on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.33 percent to 4,136.16 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.79 percent higher at 14,439.66 points.

The ChiNext Index, tracking China's Nasdaq-style board of growth enterprises, gained 0.63 percent to close at 3,349.5 points.

The ChiNext Index, together with the Shenzhen Component Index and other indices, reflects the performance of stocks listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Tensions have heightened again in Lebanon as the Lebanese government demanded disarmament of Hezbollah north of the Litani River , a central issue in political and security debates amid fears of internal conflict and regional pressures.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says the army has secured the south and will continue to bring all arms in the country under state control -- a move Hezbollah has opposed.

Aoun stressed in a speech on Tuesday that the army has secured the south, removing "illegal weapons" over the past 10 months, and insisted border authority remain solely with the armed forces to avoid external entanglements. Meanwhile, residents in the south continue to endure the strain of political uncertainty and security challenges.

Residents say they fear the escalating Israeli strikes and internal divisions will deepen instability in the country.

"The problem is fear of the Israeli enemy, who is lying in wait for the people of the south, and also, the situation on the eastern border is not reassuring. In light of this situation, you cannot ask anyone to hand over their weapons," said a resident in southern Lebanon.

Political writer Johnny Mnayar believes that a clash between Hezbollah and the Lebanese army is possible but not inevitable, based on the situation on the ground and pressure from Israel and the United States.

"In southern Litani, cooperation with Hezbollah was not based on Hezbollah handing over its positions to the army, but rather on its non-interference. Hezbollah has said that it does not want anyone to approach its positions, even those from which it bombs in northern Litani," he said.

Despite the current crisis between the Lebanese rebel group and the army and government over the disarmament issue in the north of the Litani River, experts assert that there is no conflict between Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army.

"There will be absolutely no clash between the Lebanese Army and the resistance. It is pressure from America on Lebanon to walk on the edge of the precipice. But I believe that when we reach a certain point, when we reach a certain stage of events in the streets, America will reconsider its calculations and there will be a solution," said Munir Shehadeh, a retired colonel of the Lebanese Army.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said Wednesday that 19 people, including journalists, were injured in Israeli strikes targeting buildings in five villages in southern Lebanon, north of Litani, which were described as the most violent strikes since the ceasefire was reached in November in 2025.

President Aoun condemned the strikes, holding Israel responsible, and called on the international community to stop the violations.