The head of the Israeli army’s Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin on Wednesday warned Hezbollah that Israel’s “readiness to resume fighting” is “extremely high,” although he said that the Lebanese group was “defeated” in the latest war.

"The view from this hill in Kiryat Shmona is uplifting. Sitting here safely -- this reflects how much the reality in the north has changed. This was our commitment, and I am glad we fulfilled the mission. The situation is safe, and it is completely different now," Gordin said in an interview with the Israel Hayom newspaper.

Israeli forces on Wednesday abducted three citizens and wounded two others in the southern border town of Maroun al-Ras, al-Manar TV reported.

Druze leader Walid Jumblat has called on “the political and military members of Hezbollah” to “realize that the past has ended” and that “they must turn to political action and abandon military action.”

Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that he is continuing his consultations to form a government that “meets the aspirations of the Lebanese and the urgent need for reform,” dismissing the latest media reports about the cabinet formation process.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement on Tuesday condemned Sunday’s motorbike rallies by their supporters that stirred tensions in Beirut and other areas.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has announced that the ceaesfire agreement's violation by Israel "highlights Lebanon's need for the resistance," adding that so-called army-people-resistance equation is "still steadfast despite the talk of haters."

In a pre-recorded speech aired Monday, Qassem added that his group won’t accept the extension of the ceasefire deadline, without addressing the fact that the Lebanese government had already done so overnight.

An Israeli government spokesman on Monday stressed Israel’s “commitment” to the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon but added that “Hezbollah must withdraw beyond the Litani River.”

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Monday slammed what he called the “provocative” and “sectarian” behavior of the Hezbollah supporters who staged overnight motorbike rallies in Gemmayze, Ain el-Rummaneh, Dora, Bourj Hammoud, Saqiyet al-Janzir and Maghdoushe, warning that “extremism fuels counter-extremism.”

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has commented on Sunday’s incidents in south Lebanon by saying that “the current government has once again proved that it is nonexistent and the Axis of Defiance has demonstrated that it does not value people’s lives.”

The ceasefire arrangement between Lebanon and Israel, monitored by the United States, will continue to be in effect until February 18, the White House said late Sunday.

"The Government of Lebanon, the Government of Israel, and the Government of the United States will also begin negotiations for the return of Lebanese prisoners captured after October 7, 2023," the White House added, referring to the Hezbollah fighters who were captured by Israel during the September-November war.