Hezbollah on Thursday said its fighters carried out a simultaneous attack against 19 Israeli military posts along the tense Lebanon-Israel border, in the group's fiercest escalation against Israel since October 8 and on the eve of an anticipated speech by Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the Israel-Hamas war and the border clashes.

Hezbollah said the attacks in which mortar fire and antitank missiles were used coincided with two suicide drone attacks on the main Israeli post in the occupied Shebaa Farms. Media reports said Israeli helicopters were seen transporting a large number of casualties from the site.

Hezbollah attacked Thursday the headquarters of the Israeli Zebdine's brigade in the Shebaa Farms with two suicide drones loaded with explosives, after it simultaneously targeted Israeli army posts along the border with Lebanon.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel shelled Khallat al-Mahafer near the southern town of Adaisseh, the outskirts of Ramya, Blat, Abou Laban near Aita al-Shaab, Tayr Harfa, al-Jebbayn, and al-Naqoura.

Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi visited Thursday Sidon, Nabatieh and Tyre, in a show of solidarity with the south as Hezbollah and Israel traded cross-border fire on the border.

"Activating the emergency plan in all governorates is necessary and the goal is not to scare people but to reassure them,” Mawlawi said from Sidon.

Hezbollah central council member Sheikh Nabil Qaouq on Thursday stressed that it is his party’s “national, religious and humanitarian responsibility” to “continue the battle against the Israeli enemy, in order to exhaust, weaken and defeat it.”

Hezbollah targeted Wednesday the al-Malkiyeh and al-Bayyad Israeli posts opposite to the Lebanese towns of Aitaroun and Blida.

Israeli artillery shelled in response the outskirts of the towns of Blida, Meis al-Jabal and Aitaroun with phosphorus and fragmentation bombs.

After visiting Qatar, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati will continue a tour of other Arab countries, as he works to ensure Lebanon does not enter the Hamas-Israel war.

Mikati said Wednesday that time is of the essence in stopping the Hamas-Israel war from “going out of control” and affecting Lebanon and the wider region.

The U.S. State Department has called on Lebanon to elect a president who can “guide Lebanon safely through the current challenges.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said that the U.S. is monitoring the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border “very, very closely.”

Hezbollah announced overnight that it has carried out 105 attacks against Israeli posts on Lebanon’s border since October 8.

The attacks killed and wounded 120 soldiers and destroyed nine tanks, two personnel carriers and two Humvees, Hezbollah said in an infographic.

Hezbollah targeted and destroyed Tuesday a Merkava tank in the Israeli Branit post and targeted the al-Marj Israeli post facing the southern border town of Markaba with guided missiles.

It earlier fired guided missiles at an Israeli force that was setting up an ambush on a hill. Hezbollah said it inflicted casualties among the members of the Israeli force on the al-Khazzan hill near al-Assi post.