Lebanon overnight received “a U.S. message stressing that the U.S. and Israeli sides do not want an escalation and that they are committed to the course of the negotiations” over sea border demarcation between Lebanon and Israel, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The message comes after Hezbollah launched three unarmed drones towards the Karish offshore gas field on Saturday in what it said was a “reconnaissance” mission aimed at sending a “message” to Israel, which drew warnings from Israel’s prime minister and two Israeli ministers.

Hezbollah’s sending of three drones on Saturday towards Israel’s gas installations in the Karish field was not the group’s “first operation,” the pro-Hezbollah newspaper al-Akhbar reported on Wednesday.

“It was preceded by another operation that took place on Wednesday,” al-Akhbar added.

Hezbollah intends to “rein in Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil” and put an end to his “obstruction tendencies and crippling conditions” in order to push for the formation of the new government in the near future, media reports said on Wednesday.

Hezbollah is “currently sponsoring behind-the-scenes contacts with the relevant parties in order to reach a middle ground solution between Bassil and PM-designate Najib Mikati,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has hinted that Hezbollah’s launching of three unarmed drones towards the Karish gas field on Saturday was not the first such activity, mentioning that there had been “multiple attacks.”

The UK Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP, conducted a one-day visit to Lebanon yesterday. This was Minister Heappey’s first visit to Lebanon where he saw first-hand how UK projects support the Lebanese Armed Forces in “their mission to maintain stability across Lebanon,” the British embassy said.

Tehran said Wednesday it is "still looking" for four Iranian nationals with diplomatic status who disappeared during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that There is “a big chance for a real solution” in the file of the sea border negotiations with Israel.

“The FPM is fully with seizing this chance and the dispute gap is narrowing, but the (Israeli) answers are still unclear,” Bassil said after a meeting for the Strong Lebanon bloc.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has stressed that he does not want to become the president of an “inexistent republic.”

“Being an ordinary citizen in a serious and strong state is better than being the president of an inexistent republic,” Geagea said in an interview with Euronews, when asked whether he might stop criticizing Hezbollah’s arms in order to become president.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday accused Hezbollah of “jeopardizing stability in the region” and warned that Israel “will not stand idly by in the face of any attacks,” three days after the Iran-backed party launched three drones towards the Karish offshore gas field.

“We will not turn a blind eye to Iran's arming of Hezbollah with missiles and drones,” Lapid added at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron following talks at the Elysee.

In the wake of Hezbollah’s launching of three drones towards the Karish offshore gas field, the United States warned Lebanon that it might face “deterring punitive measures” that might involve “slapping oil sanctions” on the country, media reports said on Tuesday.

“U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein openly cautioned Lebanese officials that such a step would torpedo the U.S. efforts and could subject the Lebanese investments in the oil and gas resources to the threat of sanctions, especially that it targeted a maritime area that is outside of Lebanon’s internationally-recognized border under the U.N. records,” diplomatic sources told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.