The U.S. administration believes it is in the interest of both Israel and the U.S. to begin negotiations with Lebanon, but disagreements persist regarding the details, with Israel insisting on conducting them "under fire," U.S. sources in Washington told Al-Jadeed TV.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Hezbollah on Thursday of trying to drag its opponents, including the LF, into a civil war. "Noone will clash with them except the army and the security forces," he told MTV in an interview.

Geagea said Hezbollah's battle is "domestic" and removing Israel is a fake slogan the group uses. He said Hezbollah's priorities are tied exclusively to Iran, even if they might occasionally align with Lebanon's interests, and called for the arrest of Mahmoud Qmati after his recent statements against the satte and for ending Hezbollah's participation in the government after "its coup against the government's decisions".

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said Hezbollah "must realize that its military situation is has ended," but added that it would be "a mistake for anyone to think they can eliminate Hezbollah's political wing."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will not present any French initiative during his visit to Lebanon on Thursday, a diplomatic source said.

Hezbollah said on Thursday its fighters were battling Israeli forces in south Lebanon, as a military source on the ground said Israeli troops were slowly advancing while "systematically destroying" border towns.

Hezbollah said it targeted overnight into Thursday Kiryat Shmona, Kfar Yuval, Misgav Am, Dishon, Manara, Naharaya, Haifa and Kfar Giladi in north Israel and Israeli soldiers and Merkava tanks near the southern border towns of Houla, Taybeh, Aitaroun, Odaisseh, Rob Tlatine, Alma al-Shaab and Markaba with rockets, artillery shells and attack drones.

Israeli strikes targeted overnight into Thursday Mayfadoun, al-Naqoura, al-Qantara, Tyre, al-Hosh, Insariyeh, al-Bazourieh, al-Rihan, Tayr Debba, Debaal, the border town of al-Khiam and a bridge in Qasmiyeh in south Lebanon. Artillery shelled Arnoun, al-Ghandourieh, Maroun al-Rass, Bint Jbeil, Ibl al-Seqi and wadi al-Slouqi.

At least four people were killed and ten were wounded in the strikes on the south, the National News Agency said.

The city of Sidon on southern Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast was crowded with freshly displaced people Thursday after the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning two days earlier for residents of the city of Tyre, farther south on the coast, and nearby villages and Palestinian refugee camps.

The Lebanese University campus in Sidon opened its doors to people displaced from the Tyre district, initially without any supplies.

Israeli dairy and fruit farmer Tommy Kurlender refused to abandon his herd during the last war with Hezbollah, and vowed he would again stay put this time around.

The Israel-Lebanon border area has once again come under fire since Hezbollah launched attacks in support of its backers in Tehran, after Israel killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Almost 120,000 Syrians have returned to their country from neighboring Lebanon since the latest war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah, according to International Organization for Migration figures provided to AFP on Wednesday.

"As of 17 March, 125,784 people have entered Syria from Lebanon" since the fighting there began, "about 119,000 of whom are Syrians", according to the figures from the UN agency's Displacement Tracking Matrix.

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah condemned Wednesday Israel's killing of Iranian national security chief Ali Larijani, calling it "cowardly".

"We in Hezbollah, as we condemn this cowardly assassination and the ongoing criminal American–Israeli aggression, affirm that the assassination of leaders will neither break the will of the Islamic Republic nor undermine the determination of its leadership, its people, and its fighters," the Iran-backed group said.