U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah must not turn Lebanon into "another Gaza."

Guterres cited increased "bellicose rhetoric" from both sides as they engage in nearly daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border in parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip, and he said they risk triggering a catastrophe "beyond imagination."

The flow of U.S. arms to Israel is necessary in order to “defeat Hamas” and “deter” Hezbollah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said.

“Now this is crucial. It’s crucial for our common war aims to defeat Hamas and to prevent an escalation in Lebanon to a full-fledged war to have this supply,” Netanyahu told U.S. news portal Punchbowl News in an interview published Friday.

Hezbollah targeted Friday soldiers in the Ras al-Naqoura coastal post with an array of suicide drones in response to the Israeli strike on Deir Kifa.

The group later targeted four posts in the occupied Shebaa Farms and Kfarshouba Heights.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will travel to Lebanon for talks with officials in Beirut, including the migration minister.

Baerbock's discussions with officials would focus on "the war in Gaza and the continuing catastrophic humanitarian situation", as well as "the question of what a future could look like that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live together in safety", the ministry spokeswoman said.

Egypt has delved into the ongoing efforts to prevent an Israel-Hezbollah escalation, after Hezbollah warned Cyprus against allowing Israel to use its territory in any war with Lebanon, a media report said.

“Officials from the Egyptian foreign ministry and intelligence services carried out contacts with the United States to contain the Israeli signals of escalation,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Friday.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced Friday that Spain is working with its partners to de-escalate tensions in south Lebanon.

"We have repeatedly warned against escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border," Albares said in an interview with Al Jazeera, adding that "the cycle of violence in the Middle East cannot be allowed to expand further."

The plans approved by the Israeli army regarding Lebanon include a broad invasion of southern Lebanon and the occupation of large parts of it, in order to end Hezbollah’s combat capabilities, a western diplomat in Jerusalem said.

The diplomat told Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida, in remarks published Friday, that the Israeli army has recently completed extensive maneuvers in various areas of Israel, including training to occupy villages and cities after systematically destroying them by air and land, using new advanced weapons.

Sources have told al-Jadeed that Hezbollah is not discussing any plan B with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein, after reports about such a plan for south Lebanon in case a Gaza ceasefire failed.

"There is no finalized agreement with the Americans except for the clear Lebanese stance on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701,” the sources said.

On her first visit to UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura, U.N. Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert met with UNIFIL Force Commander and Head of Mission Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro and with UNIFIL peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon.

After visiting the Blue Line, the Special Coordinator stated, “Our joint efforts are aimed at restoring stability along the Blue Line after over eight months of intense exchanges that have severely disrupted tens of thousands of lives on both sides. It is crucial for all sides to stop the firing and for the parties to commit to sustainable solutions in line with Security Council Resolution 1701. There is no inevitability to conflict.”

Hezbollah has been drawing on a powerful arsenal since it began exchanging fire with Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas over eight months ago.

As fears of a regional war rise after Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict -- and after Israel said it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive -- AFP looks at Hezbollah's weapons cache: