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.

Commenting on his meeting Tuesday with the ambassadors of the five-nation group of Lebanon, Speaker Nabih Berri has said that the circumstances have not “matured” yet regarding the presidential vote.

“There is slow progress, but things have not matured enough yet,” Berri said, in remarks published Wednesday in al-Akhbar newspaper.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acted defensive even though no one has accused him or Hezbollah of killing the LF local coordinator in Jbeil, Pascal Sleiman.

Geagea said in an interview Tuesday with Sky News Arabia that the LF had called for restraint and did not accuse Hezbollah of what he called a political assassination.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil told a delegation from the National Moderation bloc that there is a need for “consensus on a reformist, sovereign and patriotic president.”

“If that is not possible, democratic competition through voting remains much better than vacuum,” Bassil added.

Hezbollah said it fired fresh barrages of rockets across the border on Wednesday after an Israeli strike killed two civilians.

The Israeli army meanwhile said it struck 40 Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon as Israeli warplanes carried out 14 airstrikes on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and Ramia.

Four ambassadors of the five-nation group for Lebanon met Tuesday with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after a series of meetings with politicians and leaders in Beirut in an attempt to break the presidential impasse in Lebanon.

The ambassadors of Egypt, France, KSA, and Qatar and the Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. embassy in Beirut briefed Berri on the results of their meetings.