Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Friday accused the Lebanese government of "handing" the country to Israel by pushing for the group's disarmament, warning it would fight to keep its weapons.

Qassem spoke in a televised address several hours after meeting Iran's top security chief Ali Larijani, whose country has long backed the Lebanese armed group.

A senior U.N. official who has recently visited Israel has quoted Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz as saying that "the Israeli army does not intend to launch a military operation against Lebanon if (U.S. envoy Tomb) Barrack's mission fails,” ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Thursday.

Arab nations have slammed comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apparently expressing support for the idea of an expanded "Greater Israel", calling the remarks a threat to their sovereignty at an especially tense time for the region.

The term Greater Israel refers to a biblical interpretation of the nation's territory during the time of King Solomon, encompassing not only the present-day Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but also parts of modern Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

An Israeli drone targeted Thursday an excavator in the southern town of Yaroun as Israeli forces infiltrated Wadi Hounin, entering two Lebanese houses near Adeisseh.

Israel has kept up its strikes on Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.

Chief of Staff of Israel's army Eyal Zamir who visited Wednesday a post in south Lebanon said Israel is in a "multifront war" not just with Gaza but also in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

"This morning, we approved plans for the conquest of Gaza, and now we are in Lebanon," he said.

Environment Minister Tamara al-Zein of the Amal Movement has revealed in an interview on Al-Jadeed TV that “the cabinet session in which the Lebanese Army will present its plan” for monopolizing arms across the country “will be held on September 2.”

MP Melhem Riachi of the Lebanese Forces has said that the Lebanese Army’s plan to monopolize arms across the country will “surprise everyone.”

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has met with Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Lebanon, who began a visit to Lebanon on Wednesday, Hezbollah said in a statement.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Thursday emphasized that Lebanon will outsurvive Israel.

An Israeli military official has said that “there is a chance to create a better situation in Lebanon and Syria if it does not get wasted due to hatred.”