Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued a statement banning Hezbollah's military and armed activities, hours after Israel responded to missile and drone attacks by the Iran-linked group with airstrikes on southern Beirut, Al Jazeera reports.

"We declare a ban on Hezbollah's military activities and restrict its role to the political sphere," he stated.

The Lebanese prime minister said all of Hezbollah's armed activities are "illegal" and called on security forces to "prevent any attacks carried out from Lebanese territory."

"We declare our commitment to a ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations," he added.