Hezbollah denied on Thursday an Israeli claim that it had killed half of the Iran-backed Lebanese group's commanders in the south of the country, saying only a handful were slain.

The Lebanese group has been exchanging near-daily fire with the Israeli army since the day after its Palestinian ally Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf has reassured that there is a prospect for diplomatically resolving the current Israel-Hezbollah conflict, while warning that “the potential for escalation is acute.”

During a digital press briefing, Leaf added that the U.S. is “very much committed” to finding a diplomatic solution for the Lebanese-Israeli front.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has described has current relation with Hezbollah as “ordinary.”

“There was an understanding between us and the part related to protecting Lebanon is still in place while the part related to domestic policies has been shaken,” Bassil said in an interview on al-Mashhad TV.

Parliament on Thursday delayed municipal elections for a third time in two years in a session boycotted by the Lebanese Forces MPs, as militants in the country's south exchanged near-daily fire with Israel for over six months.

Lebanon is supposed to hold municipal elections every six years, but cash-strapped authorities last held a local ballot in 2016.

Hezbollah member of parliament Hassan Fadlallah has told the National News Agency during a funeral procession in southern Lebanon that "the targeting of civilians... cannot happen without a concrete response."

"Let us make this enemy understand that... we are ready for any scenario," Fadlallah said.

An Israeli drone struck Thursday a fuel truck in the town of Douris southwest of Baalbek, wounding the driver, the National News Agency said.

Later on Thursday, Hezbollah targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in the Dhaira post in northern Israel while Israeli warplanes and artillery bombed the outskirts of the southern border towns of Alma al-Shaab and al-Naqoura.

The UK Deputy Chief of Defense Staff, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, has completed a two-day visit to Lebanon. This was his first visit, to discuss UK efforts for de-escalation in the region, the British Embassy in Beirut said in a statement Wednesday.

Air Marshall Smyth met with Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Speaker Nabih Berri, General Joseph Aoun, Chief of Defense for the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib. In his messages he reiterated UK’s support to the strengthening of LAF and for the people of Lebanon. He emphasised UK’s ongoing commitment to support LAF as it delivers stability and security across Lebanon despite the country’s challenges,

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday claimed that half of Hezbollah's commanders in southern Lebanon have been killed by the Israeli military.

The remarks were made following a visit to the Israeli army’s Northern Command in Safad, where Gallant held an assessment with the chief of the command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, and other top officers.

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné will visit Beirut on Sunday to “follow up on the file of support for the Lebanese Army,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported.

Séjourné will meet with Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker PM Najib Mikati, caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and possibly Army chief General Joseph Aoun, ahead of traveling to Saudi Arabia and from there to Tel Aviv, the daily said.

Iran has reduced its military footprint in Syria after a succession of strikes blamed on Israel, a source close to Iran-backed Hezbollah and a war monitor said Wednesday.

Iran has provided military support to Syrian government forces through more than a decade of civil war but a series of strikes targeting its commanders in recent months has prompted a reshaping of its presence, the sources said.