According to a report by Agence France-Presse on the 10th, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a French newspaper that the Israeli army discovered "the most advanced" Russian weapons during a search of Hezbollah bases in southern Lebanon.

In an interview published in the daily, Netanyahu told Le Figaro that, according to a resolution by the UN Security Council in 1978, only the Lebanese army is allowed to possess weapons south of the Litani River, the country's main river.

The report quoted Netanyahu as saying, "However, Hezbollah has dug hundreds of tunnels and hideouts in this region, where we have just discovered a large amount of the most advanced Russian weapons."

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the statement about its prime minister.

The report states that Israel claims its military actions against Hezbollah are aimed at ensuring the security of the region, allowing approximately ten thousand evacuees from northern Israel to return home. Following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on a certain date last year, many people fled their homes due to cross-border shelling between Israel and Hezbollah.

Netanyahu told Le Figaro: "A new civil war in Lebanon would be a tragedy. Provoking a civil war is certainly not our goal. Israel has no intention of interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs."

He also said, "Our only goal is to ensure that our citizens living near the Lebanese border can return home and feel safe."

Reportedly, following the Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza conflict, Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in a gradually escalating exchange of artillery fire. According to AFP's tally of data from the Lebanese health department, at least people have died in Lebanon since Israel began its attacks on Hezbollah. The actual death toll could be higher.