Israel has threatened to send neighboring Lebanon "back to the Stone age," while claiming it does want a war and U.N. warning such a conflict would be apocalyptic.

The border between the two countries has seen daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Iran-backed Hezbollah ever since the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion triggered the war on Gaza.

Fears those exchanges could escalate into full-blown war have only grown in recent weeks as cross-border attacks intensified and after Israel revealed it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive, prompting new warnings from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during a visit to Washington on Wednesday that his country could "take Lebanon back to the Stone Age, but we don't want to do it."

"We do not want war, but we are preparing for every scenario," he told reporters.

"Hezbollah understands very well that we can inflict massive damage in Lebanon if a war is launched."

Israel's allies, including key defense backer the United States, have been keen to avoid such an eventuality. A U.S. official said Washington was engaged in "fairly intensive conversations" with Israel, Lebanon and other actors, and believed that no side sought a "major escalation."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Gallant Tuesday that another war with Hezbollah could have "terrible consequences for the Middle East," and urged a diplomatic solution.

Germany on Wednesday, echoing a Canadian warning from the day before, "urgently requested" its citizens in Lebanon leave the country.

"The current heightened tensions in the border area with Israel could escalate further at any time," updated foreign ministry advice in Berlin said.

Later Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut also advised American citizens to avoid traveling to Lebanon.

The embassy said that Americans should not travel to southern Lebanon, the border area with Syria and refugee settlements amid fears of a full-blown war.

"We remind U.S. citizens to strongly reconsider travel to Lebanon. The security environment remains complex and can change quickly," it added in a security alert.

The embassy said the Lebanese government can't guarantee the protection of U.S. citizens against sudden outbreaks of violence and armed conflict.

"U.S. citizens in Lebanon should not travel to southern Lebanon, the Lebanon-Syria border area, or refugee settlements," it added.

Gallant said Wednesday that Israel had killed more than 400 Hezbollah members in recent months.

According to an AFP tally, at least 481 people have died in Lebanon as a result of the Israel-Hezbollah clashes since Oct. 7, including 94 civilians.

On the Israeli side, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed, according to Israel.

'Potentially apocalyptic'

U.N. humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday that Lebanon was "the flashpoint beyond all flashpoints."

"It's beyond planning. It's potentially apocalyptic," warned Griffiths, whose term ends this week.

A war involving Lebanon "will draw in Syria ... it will draw in others," he added. "It's very alarming."

Lebanon's national news agency reported about 10 Israeli strikes on areas near the border on Wednesday, including one around 10 p.m. that destroyed a building in Nabatiyeh, wounding five people.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.

Hezbollah on Wednesday claimed six attacks against Israeli military positions in the border region.