Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Iran on Wednesday, warning: "If Iran attacks us, it will receive a blow it never imagined."

"As long as I am Prime Minister, I will not allow Iran to become a nuclear state," he told the Israeli army radio.

President Joseph Aoun has received a phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which they discussed the current situation in the region in light of recent developments, the Presidency said on Wednesday.

“There was agreement on the necessity of supporting diplomatic solutions as the best means to put an end to the conflicts in the region,” the Presidency added.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State has reiterated that the funds Hezbollah claims to have received from Iran simply do not exist.

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s wish to keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in south Lebanon, as he met with U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Aoun hoped that the U.N. Security Council would approve Lebanon’s request to renew UNIFIL’s mandate for the coming year.

A U.S. Department of State spokesperson has confirmed that Washington is aware of a judicial complaint filed by a pro-Hezbollah lawyer against Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad.

The lawyer, Hassan Bazzi, filed the complaint in Lebanon over unconfirmed reports that Moawad had contacted Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter to inquire about the health of his son who was seriously wounded in a Palestinian car ramming attack in the occupied West Bank. Moawad and Leiter have participated in several rounds of Lebanese-Israeli diplomatic talks since June -- the first between the two sides since 1983.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh and an accompanying diplomatic delegation arrived Wednesday at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, where they were received by a delegation from the Amal Movement led by senior official Khalil Hamdan, representing Speaker Nabih Berri, and MP Ali al-Meqdad, representing the leadership of Hezbollah.

Hamdan conveyed to the Iranian official greetings from Berri and the leadership of the Amal Movement, welcoming him to Lebanon, the National News Agency said.

President Joseph Aoun is communicating with senior U.S. officials to prevent Netanyahu from expanding the Israeli-declared yellow zone in south Lebanon, Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported Wednesday.

The daily said that Aoun received U.S. guarantees that Netanyahu will not be given the green light to do so.

Israeli artillery shelled Wednesday Shaqra, al-Mansouri, Majdalzoun, al-Khiam, Wadi Slouqi and al-Arayesh between Harees and Hadatha in south Lebanon.

Other town and villages in the south were shelled overnight, including Mayfadoun, Beit Yahoun and Marjaayoun.

Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad al-Hajjar on Tuesday commended the Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), praising "the efforts of the officers and members at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint, whose vigilance, professionalism, and dedication enabled them to intercept a vehicle containing explosive materials and arrest two individuals on board."

Chairing a meeting of the Central Internal Security Council, Hajjar considered that "this operation underscores the pivotal role played by the Internal Security Forces in detecting security risks and confronting them before they turn into an actual threat to security and stability."

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Tuesday at the Grand Serail with Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal and discussed with him the security situation in the country, particularly in the South.