Israel blamed Palestinian groups on Thursday for a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon, an Israeli army spokesperson said.

"We know for sure it's Palestinian fire," Lt. Colonel Richard Hecht told reporters.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned a barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon toward Israel, his spokesman said Thursday, calling on "all actors to exercise maximum restraint."

"We condemn the multiple rockets being fired from Lebanon into northern Israel today," Stephane Dujarric told reporters, asking all parties to "avoid any unilateral action that could further escalate the situation."

The United States said Thursday that its ally Israel had the right to defend itself after a barrage of rockets from Lebanon following soaring tensions over Jerusalem.

"We condemn the launch of rockets from Lebanon and Gaza at Israel," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday addressed questions to the Lebanese government after dozens of rockets were fired from south Lebanon at northern Israel.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Thursday called for restraint after rocket fire from southern Lebanon targeted Israel.

The Israeli army said it intercepted rocket fire from Lebanon Thursday after clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians inside al-Aqsa Mosque -- Islam's third-holiest site -- drew warnings of retaliation from around the region.

Israel's army said it had "identified 34 rockets that were fired from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory" and that 25 were intercepted by Israeli air defenses.

The Internal Security Forces on Thursday announced foiling an attempt to use a drone to smuggle drugs into the central Roumieh Prison.

In a statement, the ISF said a drone was detected hovering over Roumieh’s convicts ward on March 31, which prompted the prison’s guards to seize it.

The Lebanese judiciary has received a French judicial writ summoning Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh to an interrogation session in France on May 16, LBCI TV reported on Thursday.

In Lebanon, Judge Charbel Abu Samra postponed a Salameh interrogation session in a domestic probe against the governor to May 18, al-Jadeed television said.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has revealed that the Qatari delegation that visited Lebanon had stressed that Doha “has no candidates.”

Qatar rather supports “the idea of having a program and a roadmap,” Bassil said in an interview with al-Joumhouria newspaper, noting that “an integrated plan consists of a president, a premiers and a rescue plan.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is satisfied with the outcome of Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh's visit to Paris, al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday.

The daily said that Franjieh had briefed Berri about his visit to France, over a phone call.