The Israeli military said it had launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Thursday, shortly after issuing evacuation warnings to residents in parts of the area.

"The IDF (Israeli army) has begun a series of strikes on Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon," the military said.

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will meet prior to Thursday’s cabinet session to discuss the statement issued in the morning by Hezbollah and whether to respond to it or not, MTV said.

In Its statement, Hezbollah lashed out against the prospect of any "political" negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and insisted that it has a right to defend itself.

Israeli warplanes on Thursday bombed an open area between the Tyre district towns of Toura and al-Abbasiyeh, killing one person and wounding three others, the National News Agency said.

The strike also sparked panic among students in the schools of Maarakeh, al-Abbasiyeh, Toura and Tyre, prompting several schools to suspend classes and creating major traffic congestion on Tyre’s entrances.

The Israeli army is preparing for a military move with the aim of weakening Hezbollah and bringing it and the Lebanese government to sign a “stable agreement” with Israel, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Thursday.

The Israeli army is preparing for “the possibility that they will be required to enter combat in the near future,” the channel added, quoting senior Israeli officials as saying that "there are already existing plans."

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has said that there will be no war on Lebanon, sarcastically adding that the war has not stopped in the first place to restart.

"Has Israel stopped its war on Lebanon?" He asked al-Joumhouria newspaper, in remarks published Thursday.

Hezbollah lashed out on Thursday against the prospect of any "political" negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and insisted that it has a right to defend itself.

A source close to Hezbollah's political leadership told AFP the declaration followed recent UزSز and Egyptian pressure on Lebanon's leaders to open direct negotiations.

Israeli is “not seeking a war in Lebanon” but “will not hesitate if it’s needed,” an Israeli official told Al-Arabiya on Wednesday.

“We welcome any negotiations with Lebanon but without preconditions,” the official added.

Lebanon has been informed by the U.S. administration that it is not concerned with expanding the Mechanism committee or adding civilian experts to it in order to hold indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Informed sources meanwhile told the daily that Washington wants political negotiations between Lebanon and Israel and has said that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack would be willing to oversee the meetings in any capital chosen by Lebanon.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday affirmed that "reconstruction is a national priority for the entire government," during a meeting with a delegation from the Association of the Sons of the Southern Border Towns.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday disputed Speaker Nabih Berri’s announcement that Hezbollah “has fully committed to the stipulations of the ceasefire agreement” with Israel.

“This statement is totally untrue,” Geagea said, noting that the agreement’s clauses, especially its preamble, calls for the dissolution of all illegitimate armed groups.