Israeli opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Miniter Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in upcoming elections, has revealed that Israel could have executed the 2024 pager attacks against Hezbollah much earlier and on a far larger scale, but claimed that Netanyahu delayed its execution.

"I pressured him to shift the focus of operations to the northern front, but he hesitated and was afraid to take that step," said Eisenkot, a former army chief who also served as a minister in Netanyahu’s war cabinet.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Iran on Wednesday, warning: "If Iran attacks us, it will receive a blow it never imagined."

"As long as I am Prime Minister, I will not allow Iran to become a nuclear state," he told the Israeli army radio.

President Joseph Aoun has received a phone call from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which they discussed the current situation in the region in light of recent developments, the Presidency said on Wednesday.

“There was agreement on the necessity of supporting diplomatic solutions as the best means to put an end to the conflicts in the region,” the Presidency added.

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s wish to keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in south Lebanon, as he met with U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Aoun hoped that the U.N. Security Council would approve Lebanon’s request to renew UNIFIL’s mandate for the coming year.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that Israel is prepared to expand its “permanent” security zone in south Lebanon, evacuate Beirut’s southern suburbs and displace more than one million Shiites in Lebanon if Hezbollah joins any Iranian attack on Israel.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh and an accompanying diplomatic delegation arrived Wednesday at the Rafik Hariri International Airport, where they were received by a delegation from the Amal Movement led by senior official Khalil Hamdan, representing Speaker Nabih Berri, and MP Ali al-Meqdad, representing the leadership of Hezbollah.

Hamdan conveyed to the Iranian official greetings from Berri and the leadership of the Amal Movement, welcoming him to Lebanon, the National News Agency said.

Israeli artillery shelled Wednesday Shaqra, al-Mansouri, Majdalzoun, al-Khiam, Wadi Slouqi and al-Arayesh between Harees and Hadatha in south Lebanon.

Other town and villages in the south were shelled overnight, including Mayfadoun, Beit Yahoun and Marjaayoun.

Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad al-Hajjar on Tuesday commended the Directorate General of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), praising "the efforts of the officers and members at the Dahr al-Baydar checkpoint, whose vigilance, professionalism, and dedication enabled them to intercept a vehicle containing explosive materials and arrest two individuals on board."

Chairing a meeting of the Central Internal Security Council, Hajjar considered that "this operation underscores the pivotal role played by the Internal Security Forces in detecting security risks and confronting them before they turn into an actual threat to security and stability."

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met Tuesday at the Grand Serail with Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal and discussed with him the security situation in the country, particularly in the South.

Houthi-linked media Al-Masirah said Tuesday the Saudi-led coalition has carried out airstrikes against oil facilities in west of Sanaa. It didn’t not provide any evidence.

The report came shortly after a warning from the Saudi-led coalition spokesman calling on residents in the area to evacuate for their safety. Witnesses in the city said they heard explosions in Sanaa. It was not immediately clear what was hit.