France's foreign ministry said Saturday there was "no French plan" to stop the fighting in Lebanon between Israeli forces and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday on a visit to Beirut that diplomatic channels remained open to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah and urged the international community to support Lebanon.

President Joseph Aoun has presided over a meeting in Baabda with the Lebanese delegation headed by Simon Karam that will possibly conduct direct, U.S.-mediated negotiations with Israel, a diplomatic source told the Lebanese news portal East News.

President Joseph Aoun has proposed a four-pronged initiative that would begin with a truce leading to direct negotiations, either in Cyprus or Paris, under American auspices, Lebanese journalist Salem Zahran said Saturday in a post on X.

The French government has drafted a proposal to end the war in Lebanon that would require the Lebanese government to take the unprecedented step of recognizing Israel, three sources familiar with the details told U.S. news portal Axios.

Israeli and Lebanese envoys are expected to meet for talks in the coming days and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner is leading the effort on Washington's behalf, Israel's Haaretz daily reported on Friday, quoting two sources familiar with the matter.

The file of negotiations with Lebanon has made some progress, with the U.S. administration asking Israel to positively respond to Lebanon's negotiations overture and to explore the Lebanese proposal for halting the war, LBCI's correspondent in Israel, Amal Shehadeh, said on Saturday.

Hezbollah suffered heavy losses in a war with Israel more than a year ago, but the Iran-backed group has now regrouped only to end up fighting what it has called an "existential battle" and which some warn could be its last.

Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war last week when the militant group, funded and armed by Iran, attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Israel is planning to significantly expand its ground operation in Lebanon, aiming to seize the entire area south of the Litani River and dismantle Hezbollah's military infrastructure, Israeli and U.S. officials told U.S. news portal Axios.

Israeli shells hit a United Nations peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon on Friday, state media reported, as Israel and Hezbollah fought their latest war.