Wreckage after an Israeli airstrike on Wardaniyeh, Lebanon, on October 9, 2024. (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday said he spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Thursday to discuss Israel's operations in Lebanon. "I urged ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces and coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible," Austin said on X.

Earlier, two UN peacerkeepers were injured in an Israeli attack on the southern Lebanese city of Naqoura and two nearby sites. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has expressed “deep concern” and acknowledged that they had been injured by Israeli fire.

Also on Friday, the leaders of France, Italy and Spain in a joint statement condemned the recent targetings of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, and said such attacks were "unjustifiable" and should "immediately come to an end.” "These attacks constitute serious violation of the obligations of Israel under UNSCR (United Nations Security Council Resolution) 1701 and under humanitarian international law," the statement said.

The leaders of the nine Mediterranean and Southern European Union member states, known as Med9, also called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East and urged a resumption of diplomatic efforts to address the region's ongoing conflicts during the 11th Med9 Summit, in the western Cypriot city of Paphos.

The same day, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an “immediate” ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah forces. In a Friday televised address, Mikati said his government was committed to “the full application of Resolution 1701,” adopted in 2006, which supports the Lebanese army and peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed south of the country.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah is reportedly preparing for a prolonged war of attrition in southern Lebanon after suffering heavy losses from Israeli airstrikes.