The top U.S. military officer has warned that any Israeli military offensive into Lebanon would risk an Iranian response in defense of the powerful Hezbollah militant group there, triggering a broader war that could put U.S. forces in the region in danger.

Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday Iran "would be more inclined to support Hezbollah." He added that Tehran supports Hamas militants in Gaza, but would give greater backing to Hezbollah "particularly if they felt that Hezbollah was being significantly threatened."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down, setting the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese Hezbollah.

The comments Sunday threatened to further heighten the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah at a time when they appear to be moving closer to war. Netanyahu also signaled that there is no end in sight for the grinding war in Gaza.

Hezbollah said Sunday it had targeted a military position in northern Israel with an armed drone in response to the killing of an Islamist commander.

Israel and the powerful Iran-backed group, a Hamas ally, have exchanged near-daily cross-border fire since the Gaza war erupted on October 7.

Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are ready to come to Lebanon to join with Hezbollah in its battle with Israel if the simmering conflict escalates into a full-blown war, officials with Iran-backed factions and analysts say.

Almost daily exchanges of fire have occurred along Lebanon's frontier with northern Israel since fighters from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip staged a bloody assault on southern Israel in early October that set off a war in Gaza.

Abdullah Hammoud's election as the first Muslim mayor of Dearborn was a watershed moment for this city, an automaking hub home to the highest concentration of Arab-Americans in the United States.

But while his early focus was on upgrading sewer infrastructure and investing in parks, he has now been thrust into the national spotlight for his outspoken criticism of fellow Democrat Joe Biden, over the president's support for Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

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.