The U.N. Human Rights Council has set up a panel to probe Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories in a move that will further irk Israel.

Israel severed contacts with the council in March after the 47-member body announced it would investigate settlements in the occupied territories, which are considered illegal under international law.

Israel is preparing to launch a devastating attack against Lebanon as the developments in Syria are one of the factors that could upset the calm, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Friday.

“This means carrying out a very strong attack against Lebanon, and the damage will be enormous," said a senior officer in the Northern Command of the 91st Division, which is responsible for the front with Lebanon.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel on Thursday, causing no injuries or damage, an Israeli police spokesman told Agence France Presse.

"The rocket hit a field in the Eshkol region and caused no injuries or damage," Micky Rosenfeld said.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly attended a tripartite meeting held at al-Naqoura crossing between the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon and senior Lebanese and Israel officials.

UNIFIL Commander Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra presided the meeting on Wednesday.

Israel will resume construction of its controversial West Bank barrier within the next few weeks after a five-year delay, public radio reported on Thursday, citing an army officer.

Israeli radio reported that Colonel Ofer Hindi, the officer responsible for the barrier, delivered details of the plans to resume construction work in a session before the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Israel expressed fear that Hizbullah will try to blockade the country by targeting civilian cargo ships within a 30 kilometers radius to halt them from sailing there during war, the Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the Israeli newspaper, Israel receives 90 percent of all goods, including ammunition and military hardware, by sea.

Iran on Tuesday test-fired in its central desert a ballistic missile capable of striking Israel as part of war games designed to show its ability to retaliate if attacked, media said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard fired the medium-range Shahab-3 missile at a mock target in the Kavir Desert on the second day of its Great Prophet 7 exercise, which is due to end on Wednesday, Iran's Al-Alam television network reported.

The U.N. pointman for Palestinian human rights launched a blistering attack on the international community Monday, accusing it of conspiring in Israeli settlement policies and branding the peace process a "trick".

Richard Falk, the special U.N. rapporteur for human rights in the occupied territories, also took aim at the so-called Middle East Quartet's peace envoy Tony Blair over his efforts in the region.

An Israeli jet blew up on Monday a spy device between the southern towns of Zrariyeh and Tayr Filsay, reported various media outlets.

Al-Manar television said that the attack targeted a device that was located on a Hizbullah telecommunications cable.

Deputy head of Hizbullah's Executive Council Sheikh Nabil Qaouq accused on Monday some sides of seeking to change Lebanon and Syria’s identity through their criticism of the resistance and its arms.

He said: “Their focus on the resistance’s arms at this point in time is aimed at diverting attention from their smuggling of weapons to Syria.”