Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said that Israel is “not looking for war” with Hezbollah and that a diplomatic solution is preferable, as the far-right Otzma Yehudit party indicated it would bolt the government if Israel shied away from launching a full-scale assault on the Iran-backed Lebanese group.

Nevertheless, Gallant reiterated that Israel is making preparations and planning for a wider conflict, and said the ball is in Hezbollah’s court.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday paid an inspection visit to war-hit south Lebanon.

Mikati started his tour at an army barracks in Tyre before inspecting official school exam centers and holding a meeting with health officials.

Hezbollah targeted Friday surveillance equipment in Birkat Risha in north Israel, a day after it announced four of its fighters had been killed.

Israeli artillery meanwhile shelled the outskirts of the southern coastal town of al-Naqoura, and warplanes raided a home in Shihin in the Tyre district.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil will visit Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday, a local newspaper and an FPM MP said.

Pro-Hezbollah daily al-Akhbar reported Friday that Bassil will present to Berri a suggestion for the presidential consultations and dialogue.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has met with Jamaa Islamiya chief Sheikh Mohammad Takkoush, Hezbollah said.

The meeting “tackled the latest political and security developments in Lebanon and Palestine,” a Hezbollah statement said.

Marking the 248th Anniversary of the United States’ Independence Day, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut held a reception attended by MP Fadi Alameh, representing Speaker Nabih Berri, and caretaker Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi, representing caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.   

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson noted in her remarks: “The United States has supported Lebanon and the Lebanese people since Lebanon’s birth as a nation.  Our relationship is built on a common desire for a prosperous, free, and democratic world.  The strength of our partnership is reflected in the numerous bonds connecting our two countries. We are bonded in strength.”  

The Russian embassy in Beirut has recommended that its citizens avoid traveling to Lebanon “until the situations calm down in the south of the country,” media reports said.

Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Rudakov meanwhile told al-Jadeed television that the embassy “has not issued a new statement calling on citizens to leave Lebanon.”

Israeli warplanes raided Thursday the southern border town of Aitaroun, as fears mounted that months of cross-border fire between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah could turn into a full-fledged conflict.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attack on Israel sparked the war in the Gaza Strip.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wednesday that efforts should be exerted to prevent Lebanon from being turned into “an arena for armed conflicts starting from the south.”

“The relevant U.N. resolutions must be implemented in order to put an end to Israel’s expansionist ambitions, and accordingly not linking Lebanon’s stability and interests to extremely complicated conflicts and endless wars,” Mikati added, during a joint press conference in Beirut with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Wednesday traveled to Brussels for talks with European Union officials.

Bou Habib will then head to the United States for talks with U.S. officials in Washington and U.N. officials in New York. The minister will also visit Canada to meet with his Canadian counterpart.