Israeli warplanes launched two air strikes on the Gaza Strip early Friday, the military said; hours after Palestinian militants fired two rockets at southern Israel.

"Israeli army aircraft thwarted an attempt by a terrorist squad to fire rockets at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip," an army statement said.

Senior Lebanese and Israeli military officials held a meeting on Thursday in Ras al-Naqoura under the supervision of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.

UNIFIL Commander Maj.-Gen. Paolo Serra headed the meeting intended to boost security measures along the Blue Line and to halt any violations by both parties.

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel said on Thursday that ending “statelets” and “closed security zones” would help build the Lebanese state.

He said: “Lebanon’s sovereignty cannot be established without eliminating the possession of illegitimate arms.”

President Michel Suleiman condemned on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statements on Lebanon, saying that its existence will not be affected by his remarks.

He added in a statement: “Lebanon is the only country to have defeated Israel militarily and the Jewish state is still recovering from it.”

Russia on Wednesday warned against the use of force to solve the crisis over the Iranian nuclear program, saying an attack would have catastrophic consequences both for the region and global diplomacy.

"The scenario of military action against Iran would be catastrophic for the region and possibly the whole system of international relations," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told a news conference.

An Israeli committee was on Wednesday to approve construction of 500 new homes in the West Bank settlement of Shilo and retroactively legalize more than 200 built without permits, a spokesman said.

The committee "will meet today to approve construction of 500 units," civil administration spokesman Guy Inbar told Agence France Presse.

Israel's Ambassador to the U.N., Ron Prosor, has warned the Security Council that Hizbullah’s alleged powerbase in western Africa is growing, the Israeli Ynetnews website reported Wednesday.

"Israel is particularly concerned over Hizbullah's use of the area as a base of terror operations,” the site quoted Prosor as saying. “Criminal initiatives bolster Hizbullah's efforts to create sleeper-cells in the area.”

The prime minister's top spokesman has resigned six months into the job, Israeli media reported Wednesday, injecting new turmoil into Benjamin Netanyahu's troubled bureau shortly before an important White House visit.

Israeli newspapers, TV and radio stations reported that Yoaz Hendel quit after Netanyahu criticized the way he handled suspicions against the prime minister's chief of staff Natan Eshel, who was forced out this week over a sexual harassment scandal.

A Palestinian prisoner has ended his 66-day hunger strike over his detention without charge under a deal that will see him released in April, Palestinian and Israeli officials told Agence France Presse on Tuesday.

"The Israeli court decided to release Khader Adnan on April 17 and based on that he ended his hunger strike," Palestinian prisoner affairs minister Issa Qaraqaa said.

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon spokesman Neeraj Singh revealed on Tuesday that Israel will perform maintenance operations along the technical border fence in the Aitaroun region in Bint Jbeil, reported the National News Agency.

He added that Israel informed UNIFIL of its measures and that the international troops had in turn relayed the message to the Lebanese army.