Middle East live updates: Siegel's family thanks President Trump 'for bringing our father back to us'

Israel has launched several strikes against southern Lebanon on Tuesday, saying it struck a Hezbollah truck and an additional vehicle transferring weapons in the areas of Chaqif and Nabatieh.

"The truck and the additional vehicle were struck after being monitored by the IDF at the time of the transfer of the weapons," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

"The IDF is determined to continue to operate in accordance with the understanding between Israel and Lebanon, despite Hezbollah's attempts to return to southern Lebanon, and will operate against any threat posed to the state of Israel and its citizens," the IDF said.

Egypt on Tuesday denied reports that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump after the latter said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza.

"There was no truth to what some media outlets reported about a phone call between the Egyptian and American presidents," a senior official told state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV. The official added that any such contact would have been announced.

Trump suggested on Saturday a plan to "clean out” the Gaza Strip, saying he would "like Egypt to take people," and would like Jordan to do the same.

He elaborated on the remarks on Monday, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he’d spoken with Sisi, although he did not clarify Sisi’s stance on accepting additional Palestinian refugees.

"I wish he would take some, we help them a lot, and I’m sure he can help us, he’s a friend of mine," Trump said. "He’s in a very rough part of the world, to be honest, as they say, it’s a rough neighborhood, but I think he can do it."

"When you look at the Gaza Strip, it’s been hell for so many years," Trump said Monday. "There’s always been violence associated. So, I think you can get people living in areas that are a lot safer and maybe a lot better and maybe a lot more comfortable."

Both Jordan and Egypt appeared to reject Trump's suggestion. Egypt's foreign ministry issued a statement affirming its rejection of the “displacement or the uprooting of Palestinians from their land whether temporarily or long-term," and Jordan reiterated its “firm and unwavering" stance against any displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.

Netanyahu is scheduled to visit Washington D.C. on Feb. 4.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East must cease all its operations and evacuate all premises it operates in Jerusalem in the next 48 hours in accordance with Israeli law, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon told the U.N. on Tuesday.

"The legislation forbids UNWRA from operating within the sovereign territory of the state of Israel and forbids any contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA. Furthermore, UNRWA will be prohibited from maintaining any representative office, service, or activity within our territory. Israel will terminate all collaboration, communication, and contact with UNWRA or anyone acting on its behalf," Danon said.

"We will not allow UNWRA to work from Israel. And I think it will be a gradual process until other agencies will step in and will take their positions in Gaza. We have no intention to go back and rule Gaza. And I think it will be other NGOs that will have to increase their activities," Danon said.

The UNRWA is the largest U.N. presence in Gaza, with 13,000 personnel and 300 premises. The agency is critical for supporting a shattered population and the ceasefire.

"In Gaza, undermining UNRWA’s operations will compromise the international humanitarian response. It will degrade the capacity of the United Nations just when humanitarian assistance must be scaled up significantly. This will only worsen the already catastrophic living conditions of millions of Palestinians," the UNRWA said in response to the announcement.

The IDF will remain on the summit of Hermon and in the security zone for an indefinite period, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday.

"The IDF will remain on the summit of Mount Hermon and in the security zone for an unlimited period of time to ensure the security of the residents of the State of Israel. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria -- from here to the Sweida-Damascus axis, and we will not be dependent on others for our defense," Katz said.