President Joseph Aoun welcomed on Friday France and Italy's efforts to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, whose mandate expires at the end of the year.

In a statement, Aoun called the initiative "a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and stability."

U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon that were slated to end Thursday will go on for another day, the U.S. State Department said.

Hezbollah overnight accused Israel of a "flagrant" ceasefire breach, saying it launched a drone and killed three civilians in southern Lebanon.

The group said the strike was a "direct attack" on "civilians," while Israel had earlier said it had killed fighters from Hezbollah ranks.

"Very strong" verification is needed in Iran following the Middle East conflict to ensure that it does not develop nuclear weapons, the U.N. atomic watchdog chief said on Friday.

Desperate Venezuelans raced Thursday to find and rescue loved ones trapped alive beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings after two major earthquakes that killed at least 235 people.

The Israeli army said it had killed several suspected Hezbollah operatives on Thursday in two separate incidents around the so-called "security zone" its occupying forces have established in southern Lebanon.

France and Italy want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

Israel said Thursday that it had set no timetable for withdrawing its forces from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, as Israeli and Lebanese officials engaged in U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.

Oman's top diplomat said no transit fees would be imposed in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday after Muscat and Tehran, which border the key waterway, had earlier said they were discussing service "costs".

Badr Albusaidi said "future arrangements regarding the Strait do not entail the imposition of any transit fees," during a meeting of Gulf foreign ministers in the Bahraini capital Manama with US Secretary Marco Rubio -- whose administration has repeatedly opposed any fees or tolls.

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed two people on Wednesday, Lebanese state media reported, with militant group Hezbollah calling it another "violation" of a truce between the two sides.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said that "two people were killed" when an Israeli drone targeted their vehicle near the town of Kfar Rumman.