U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and urged him to “avoid escalation in Lebanon,” amid continuing cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, the U.S. State Department said.

“Secretary Blinken stressed the importance of measures to prevent the conflict from expanding, including affirmative steps to de-escalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon,” the State Dept. said.

Israel's military says rocket fire from Lebanon has killed one of its soldiers and wounded another near the border, where violence has flared during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The soldiers were hit during "operational activity" in the Shtula area in northern Israel, the army said in a statement.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi agreed, during a meeting in Bkerki, that resolving the Lebanese crises starts with the election of a president.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October last year, while its government has been running in a limited caretaker capacity. The head of the General Security agency retired in March without a replacement, and the central bank governor's mandate expired in July, without a clear successor.

A statement issued by caretaker PM Najib Mikati’s office has strained the relation anew between the premier and caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim, after the two men held a supposedly positive reconciliation meeting on Thursday.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale has called for the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701 and for turning the tables on Iran and its proxies in the region when the war on Gaza ends.

Since the war in Gaza began, there have been near-daily clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces along the Lebanon-Israel border, with fears of an escalation to a full-scale war.

The European Union has decided to allocate 205.5 million Euros to address several priority areas to support the country’s stability and recovery.

"In these times of uncertainty and instability in the region, the European Union reaffirms its support to the people of Lebanon and has decided to allocate 205.5 million Euros to address several priority areas to support the country’s stability and recovery," the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon said Friday in a statement.

Hezbollah targeted Friday groups of soldiers and officers near the Shumira barracks and the Even Menachem settlement and an Israeli infantry force in Metulla while Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on al-Labbouneh.

The Israeli artillery also shelled Rab Tlatine, Jabal Blat, al-Jebbayn, Tayr Harfa, al-Naqoura, Houla, Mays al-Jabal, and Aita al-Shaab.

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea has met with a number of Lebanese leaders on the occasion of the end of her diplomatic service in Lebanon.

A confidential document, developed by a think tank in Riyadh, outlines a plan to end the crisis in Gaza, French newspaper Le Monde has reported.

The European Union has announced an additional 40 million Euros contribution to the education sector in Lebanon to ensure that vulnerable children continue receiving quality education.

"This new support, which will be implemented by UNICEF, will help the most marginalized boys and girls aged 3-18 years in accessing education, by reducing enrollment barriers.," the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon said in a statement.