Israel shelled a border region in southern Lebanon on Friday, two Lebanese security sources said, after a blast occurred on the border fence, according to the Israeli army.

One of the security sources said the shelling followed an infiltration attempt from the Lebanese side of the border, while the Israeli army said it was responding to a blast that caused "light damage" to the border barrier.

French oil giant TotalEnergies has informed Lebanon’s Energy Ministry and the Lebanese Petroleum Administration that no gas was found in the first well that was drilled in Lebanon’s offshore Block 9, a media report said.

“Drilling in the well in Block 9 ended after only water was found at a depth of 3,900 meters, and accordingly there is no use from continuing the drilling to a depth of 4,200 meters,” LBCI television reported.

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Friday he did not rule out the possibility of a new Lebanese front, although he hopes that Hezbollah would not be dragged into war.

"I stand with every Lebanese citizen against any aggression," Jumblat told MTV.

Hezbollah on Friday said it would be "fully prepared" to join the Palestinians in the war against Israel when the time is right.

“We in Hezbollah are contributing to the confrontation and we’ll contribute to it within our vision and plan,” Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem told a pro-Palestinian rally in Beirut's southern suburbs.

Protests were staged after Friday prayers in Muslim communities around the world — including Lebanon, Tehran, Baghdad, and Jordan — condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza and showing support for Palestinians in the wake of the deadly surprise attack launched in southern Israel by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7.

Lebanese and Palestinians protested across Lebanon, in Beirut's downtown and in its southern suburb, in Tyre, Sidon, Tripoli and Bekaa, following afternoon prayers Friday, in support of Palestine.

Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said Friday that the deterrence between his group and Israel has been maintained since a monthlong war in 2006, despite clashes over the past week.

Fadlallah’s comments came minutes after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held separate meetings with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and key ally Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Will Lebanon's heavily armed Hezbollah join the Israel-Hamas war? The answer could well determine the direction of a battle that is bound to reshape the Middle East.

Hezbollah, which like Hamas is supported by Iran, has so far been on the fence about joining the fighting between Israel and the Gaza Strip's Islamic militant rulers. For the past six days, Israel has besieged Gaza and hammered the enclave of 2.3 million Palestinians with hundreds of airstrikes in response to a deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who had arrived Thursday in the Lebanese capital Beirut, met Friday with Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Abdollahian was received by Hezbollah and Hamas among other pro-Iran groups. He is scheduled to meet Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh before heading to Damascus.

U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned Donald Trump for describing Hezbollah as "very smart" even as the Lebanese militant group exchanges fire with Israel following the Hamas attack on the U.S. ally.

During a campaign speech in Florida, Trump also falsely accused the Biden administration of bankrolling the Hamas assault as a result of a prisoner exchange deal with Iran, which has historically funded Hamas and Hezbollah.

The chance of Hezbollah scaling up involvement in the war against Israel could hinge on any Israeli ground invasion of Gaza after a bloody attack by Hamas on southern Israeli communities, analysts said.

Militants from the Palestinian group Hamas stormed over Gaza's border on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people in Israel mostly civilians, and taking 150 hostages, in the deadliest attack on the country since its founding 75 years ago.