U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to hostilities along the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, warning of the risk of a broader conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, visiting the northern border area after eight months of war with Hamas that has devastated Gaza, warned Wednesday that Israel was "prepared for a very intense operation" along the border.

Hezbollah is “dealing seriously with the threats that are being launched by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war team,” a prominent Shiite Duo source said.

Hezbollah “will not stand idly by and has declared general mobilization among its fighters, who are now fully prepared to confront the Israeli threats, although it does not want war and is not seeking it,” the source told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.

Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has traveled to northern Israel after an intensification of Hezbollah attacks there, warning of “tougher days” ahead, Israel’s Channel 12 has reported.

Gantz met with the mayors of several northern towns close to the frontier and told them: “Don’t complain about the present, because the future could be more problematic.”

The Syrian man who was arrested after a shooting near the U.S. embassy in Beirut on Wednesday has carried out the attack "in support of Gaza", a judicial official said.

A Lebanese national working for the embassy suffered light injuries to his eye after the assailant opened fire.

The United States has warned against an "escalation" in Lebanon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of an operation, saying conflict would only harm Israeli security.

"We don't want to see that escalation of the conflict which would just lead to further loss of life from both Israelis and the Lebanese people and would greatly harm Israel's overall security and stability in the region," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters Wednesday.

An israeli drone targeted Thursday a motorbike in the southern border town of Aitaroun, as Israel ramped up in past weeks its targeting of Hezbollah fighters and allied militants in cars and on motorbikes in south Lebanon.

The Israeli army had carried out airstrikes overnight on the southern towns of al-Odaisseh, the Tyre District town of Wadi Jilo, and the outskirts of Siddiqin and Adshit, while artillery shelled al-Abbasieh, al-Wazzani and the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab.

The Israeli army “does not want to go to war in the north” against Hezbollah, far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decried on Wednesday.

Asked whether the Israeli army is preventing a war in Lebanon, Smotrich replied: “We need to ask the IDF (Israeli army) hard questions and challenge it, not leave a blank check for commanders who tell us they are ready for a campaign in two theaters and at the moment of truth they fold.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati for his part denied receiving “warnings that the Israeli enemy might wage a large-scale attack on Lebanon.”

“Mr. Prime Minister stresses that these leaks and reports are baseless and are part of the pressures that are being exerted on Lebanon,” his press office said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the northern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday, emphasizing Israel's readiness to take “decisive” action against threats from Lebanon.

Netanyahu also visited an observation point in the settlement, where he was briefed on the recent fires sparked by Hezbollah attacks and the firefighting efforts.

The Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon and the Samir Kassir Foundation have announced the results of the 19th edition of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press, in a ceremony held at the Sursock Palace Gardens, in Beirut.

This Award, established and funded by the European Union, is recognized internationally as a flagship prize for press freedom and the most prestigious journalism award in the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf region.