Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday said that his government is continuing to shoulder its responsibilities amid the dire conditions in Lebanon and the region.

“With national pride, we stress that together we are continuing to shoulder the responsibility of acting in caretaker capacity, facilitating people’s affairs, protecting the country and immunizing state institutions. Against the backdrop of the Gaza war and tragedies, we raise our voice to announce that the scenes of blood and killing will not manage to kill the rights,” Mikati said during a Cabinet session.

Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Thursday defended Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi after he was attacked on social media by pro-Hezbollah journalists and activists.

“We condemn any domestic inflammatory remarks, especially against Patriarch al-Rahi, during this extraordinarily dangerous period in the history of Lebanon and the region,” Jumblat said in a post on the X platform, formerly Twitter.

Israeli drones and artillery bombed Wednesday several southern towns including Markaba, Rab Tlatine, al-Khiyam, Tayr Harfa, al-Jebbayn, Yarine, Blida, Kfarkela, Jabal Blat, Aita al-Shaab, Yaroun, Houla, al-Labbouneh, Marwahine, Rmeish, Odeisseh, al-Bustan, al-Naqoura, Mays al-Jabal, Kfarshouba and al-Dhaira.

Hezbollah for its parts targeted several Israeli posts including the Ramim barracks, the Rwaisat al-Alam post on the occupied Shebaa Farms, Berket Risha, Jabal al-Tiyarat, and Jal al-Alam, "inflicting casualties", amid reports of a volley of rockets launched from Lebanon, which activated alert sirens in Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot and Misgav Am. These Israeli towns have been largely evacuated of civilians. Israeli reports said the volley of rockets has landed in open areas in the Kiryat Shmona region.

Hezbollah is not eager to ramp up its hostilities against Israel, the Russian foreign minister has said.

Moscow does not believe that Iran, Lebanon or Hezbollah want the Israel-Palestine war to escalate into a broader regional conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told Russia’s RT television.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed the need for a two-state solution as "Palestinians cannot remain without a state."

In a meeting Wednesday with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Geagea said that the border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah in the south do not serve anyone, "especially Lebanon and its people."

Israeli forces entered Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, allegedly targeting a suspected Hamas command center they say is located below thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said military operations were taking place at Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital, which has been the focal point of days of fighting and nearby aerial bombardments.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lieutenant General Aroldo Lázaro on Tuesday met with Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut, ahead of the Security Council’s consultations on Resolution 1701 (2006).

"I expressed my deep concern about the situation in the south, and the potential for wider and more intensive hostilities," Lázaro said in a statement.

Israel is deliberately using “disproportionate force” in Gaza and targeting “civilian infrastructure” in an effort to limit its own losses and showcase its “military force,” according to a confidential memo from the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv.

The memo, drafted by the Dutch defense attaché in the embassy and seen by Dutch media outlet NRC, analyzes Israel’s military strategy in Gaza, where Israeli forces have been launching retaliatory airstrikes for over a month straight and conducting a ground invasion, killing more than 11,000 people according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that he has instructed the Israeli army to “prepare for all scenarios to deal with Hezbollah” on Israel’s northern front.

“Our goal first and foremost is total victory over Hamas and the return of the captives and then we will deal with the north,” Netanyahu said after a meeting with the chiefs of the northern Israeli settlements.

The caretaker cabinet failed to convene Tuesday, due to a lack of quorum and a ministerial meeting at the Grand Serail replaced the cancelled session.

The session was postpone to Monday.