The Israeli military said in a statement Thursday that an "explosive drone impact" had wounded four of its soldiers -- one severely -- in southern Lebanon the previous day.

Israel struck Beirut's southern suburbs Wednesday in the first such attack in nearly a month, killing a senior Hezbollah commander from its elite Radwan force.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military struck Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, targeting a top Hezbollah commander.

"The Israeli army has struck in Beirut to target the commander of Hezbollah's Radwan force, in an attempt to neutralize him," a joint statement issued by Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said.

An Israeli strike in Lebanon's West Bekaa killed four people on Wednesday, while the Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah targets in the south, after warning residents of a dozen towns to evacuate.

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement in force since April 17. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for several operations targeting Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, as well as attacks on northern Israel.

The third round of Lebanese-Israeli talks will be held next week at the U.S. State Department over two consecutive days, either Wednesday and Thursday or Thursday and Friday, LBCI television reported Wednesday.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Wednesday that "talking about any potential meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still premature."

Pope Leo XIV surprised 13 priests from southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, by joining a video call from Rome on Wednesday, telling them they were in his prayers and that he hoped peace would soon prevail along the tense frontier.

The Lebanese Catholic and Maronite priests were asked to attend an online morning meeting with the Vatican's ambassador to Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia. Once online, Borgia told them Leo was also present and would like to speak with them.

Israel's army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir visited troops in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, vowing to dismantle Hezbollah and saying the military was prepared to launch a new offensive against Iran if needed.

A Lebanese court on Wednesday acquitted singer Fadel Shaker of the attempted murder of an official from a Hezbollah-allied group, a judicial official told AFP, after the star surrendered to police.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that peace between ‌Israel and Lebanon is "achievable" and that "the problem is not Israel or Lebanon" but Hezbollah.

Rubio told reporters on Tuesday at the White House that he thinks "a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel ​is imminently achievable and should be".

Syrian authorities announced on Tuesday they had arrested a Hezbollah-affiliated cell plotting to assassinate government officials, while the Lebanese group denied the "false accusations".

The Syrian interior ministry said that it had conducted a "series of simultaneous security operations" in the Damascus countryside, Aleppo, Homs, Tartus and Latakia provinces.