A strong dispute has erupted within Hezbollah, particularly between the political faction that is close to Speaker Nabih Berri and the military faction that implements Iran’s decisions, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Friday.

The Israeli Air Force, the military intelligence and the Israeli northern command have devised a joint attack plan with the aim of weakening Hezbollah and it can be implemented based on a political decision or if Hezbollah decided to respond to the Israeli attacks, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said.

“In Beirut, the Israeli army is still avoiding to target areas in which the organization is storing weapons in order not to undermine security there,” the daily added.

President Joseph Aoun on Friday noted that “Lebanon is committed to the cessation of hostilities agreement, while Israel is still occupying the five hills and increasing its attacks on it.”

Aoun voiced his remarks in a meeting in Baabda with a delegation from the World Bank.

The United States will continue using every tool at its disposal to ensure Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to the Lebanese people or the broader region, the U.S. department of state said in a statement, after it imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members accused of involvement in financial transactions for Hezbollah.

"The United States is committed to supporting Lebanon by exposing and disrupting Iran’s covert financing of Hizballah. By enabling Hizballah, Iran holds Lebanon back and undermines its sovereignty. Iran and Hizballah cannot be allowed to keep Lebanon captive any longer," the statement said.

It is “not unlikely” that Israel might launch a several-day “preemptive operation" against Hezbollah across Lebanon, the Israeli Hayom newspaper has reported.

“The preemptive Israeli operation against Hezbollah is not likely to take place within the next month, unless Hezbollah decides to escalate,” the Israeli daily added.

The UNIFIL peacekeeping mission has said the latest wave of Israeli strikes on south Lebanon "undermines the progress being made toward a political and diplomatic solution".

Israeli jets had struck several towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday after urging residents to leave, marking an escalation in their near-daily strikes on the country.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday that only the state has the war and peace decision, a day after Hezbollah said it has the right to defend itself against Israel.

Salam said the government is working on monopolizing weapons and ending Israeli attacks and occupation. "There are no more empty promises, but rather practical steps," he vowed.

A senior Israeli military official has warned that Israel would attack targets in Beirut if the Lebanese army fails to disarm Hezbollah.

"If the Lebanese army does not disarm Hezbollah and fails to meet the demands of the ceasefire, Israel, with U.S. backing, will attack Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut," the official told Israeli Channel 12, hours after Israel struck a series of targets in southern Lebanon.

President Joseph Aoun has denounced Thursday's attacks on south Lebanon as a "fully-fledged crime", accusing Israel of rejecting Beirut's overtures towards diplomacy.

The Lebanese military said Israel was preventing the full implementation of a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, which hours earlier had publicly asserted its right to defend itself and rejected the prospect of direct political talks between Lebanon and Israel.

Lebanese authorities lifted a travel ban and reduced bail for the son of late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi paving the way for his release, judicial officials and one of his lawyers said Thursday.

The decision by the country's judicial authorities came days after a Libyan delegation visited Lebanon and made progress in talks for the release of Hannibal Gadhafi.