President Joseph Aoun welcomed on Friday France and Italy's efforts to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, whose mandate expires at the end of the year.

In a statement, Aoun called the initiative "a sincere expression of the international commitment to supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and stability."

U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon that were slated to end Thursday will go on for another day, the U.S. State Department said.

Hezbollah overnight accused Israel of a "flagrant" ceasefire breach, saying it launched a drone and killed three civilians in southern Lebanon.

The group said the strike was a "direct attack" on "civilians," while Israel had earlier said it had killed fighters from Hezbollah ranks.

The Israeli army said it had killed several suspected Hezbollah operatives on Thursday in two separate incidents around the so-called "security zone" its occupying forces have established in southern Lebanon.

France and Italy want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

Israel said Thursday that it had set no timetable for withdrawing its forces from Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, as Israeli and Lebanese officials engaged in U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.

Washington Bureau Chief for Asharq News Hiba Nasr said Thursday that the U.S. is seeking more than a statement of intent.

"Following Secretary Rubio’s comments on Lebanon, I’m told the U.S. is pushing for something that goes beyond a mere Statement of Intent," Lebanese journalist Nasr posted on the X platform.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said Lebanon and Israel are nearing a "very positive" declaration of intent amid their ongoing talks in Washington.

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, Lebanese state media reported, despite a lull in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said "three people were killed and one person was wounded when an enemy drone targeted a... vehicle on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun".

Members of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) headed by Chair Rt Hon Dame Emily Thornberry MP, visited Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the humanitarian, political and security challenges facing the country and the wider region. The delegation included MPs Alan Gemmell, Abtisam Mohamed and Edward Morello.

The visit focused on the devastating impact of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on civilians in Lebanon, the situation facing Syrian refugees and host communities, and efforts to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Lebanon’s long-term stability and security.