North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country will speed up steps toward becoming a military superpower with nuclear weapons and would not rule out using them if it came under enemy attack, state news agency KCNA said on Tuesday.

Kim mentioned South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol by name for the second time in a week in denouncing Seoul for colluding with Washington to destabilize the region to gloss over the fact it does not even have proper strategic weapons, Reuters reported.

"Yoon Suk Yeol made some tasteless and vulgar comment about the end of the Republic in his speech, and it shows he is totally consumed by his blind faith in his master's strength," KCNA quoted Kim as saying, referring to the South's alliance with the U.S.

"To be honest, we have absolutely no intention of attacking South Korea," he said in the speech at the Kim Jong Un National Defense University, a training ground for elite military specialists. "Every time I stated our position on the use of military force, I clearly and consistently used the qualification 'if.'"

"If the enemies try to use force against our country, the Republic's military will use all offensive power without hesitation. This does not preclude the use of nuclear weapons."

"Our footsteps towards becoming a military superpower and a nuclear power will accelerate," he added.

North Korea has for decades pursued a nuclear weapons programme and is believed to have enough fissile materials to build dozens of the weapons. It has conducted six underground nuclear detonation tests, read the report.

Last week, South Korea marked an annual armed forces day with a large military parade showcasing a ballistic missile capable of carrying a massive warhead and featuring a flypast of a U.S. strategic bomber.

In his address that day, Yoon warned the North against using nuclear weapons. "That day will see the end of the North Korean regime."

KCNA said Kim made the remarks on Monday, the same day the North has said its Supreme People's Assembly would meet to discuss amending the country's constitution. The news agency has made no mention of the assembly's deliberations since Monday.

The session is being closely watched because of the likelihood it would approve a constitutional amendment to reflect Kim's statement that unification is no longer possible and the South was a separate country and "a principal enemy."

Such a move would formalise Kim's break with decades-old goal espoused by both countries of national unification and attempts to improve ties, including a 2018 summit where their leaders declared there will be no more war and a new era of peace has opened.

In a separate report, KCNA said Kim sent a birthday message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him his "closest Comrade and saying "strategic and cooperative relations" between the two countries will be raised to a new level, Reuters reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by telephone with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, his office said, and told him that placing restrictions on Israel will just serve Iran and its proxies, Reuters reported.

Macron said on Saturday that shipments of arms to Israel used in the war in Gaza should be stopped as part of a broader effort to find a political solution to the conflict.

"Just as Iran supports all parts of the Iranian terror axis, so are Israel's friends expected to support it, and not impose restrictions that will only strengthen the Iranian axis of evil," Netanyahu told Macron, according to a statement from his office.

Israel has sharply escalated its attacks on Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah in recent weeks, following a year of lower level cross-border conflict waged in parallel with Israel's war against Palestinian militants Hamas, also backed by Iran, after the Oct. 7 attacks last year, read the report.

The Israeli government says it aims to allow Israelis to return to their homes in northern Israel, after being evacuated amid Hezbollah rocket attacks that began on Oct. 8 last year.

"The prime minister emphasized that Israel's actions against Hezbollah create an opportunity to change reality in Lebanon to better stability, security and peace in the entire region," the statement said.

The two leaders agreed to maintain a dialogue on the matter during the French foreign minister's visit to Israel on Monday, Netanyahu's office said.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot is on a four-day trip to the Middle East. Paris is seeking to play a role in reviving diplomatic efforts as the Gaza war has widened to Lebanon, Reuters reported.

Macron told France Inter radio on Saturday that the priority was "to get back to a political solution (and) that arms used to fight in Gaza are halted. France doesn't ship any".

"Our priority now is to avoid escalation. The Lebanese people must not in turn be sacrificed, Lebanon cannot become another Gaza," he added.

France is not a major weapons provider for Israel, shipping military equipment worth 30 million euros ($33 million) last year, according to the Defence Ministry's annual arms exports report.

Dubai's Emirates Airlines has banned passengers from carrying pagers and walkie-talkies on its flights, following last month's attacks on Lebanese group Hezbollah involving communication devices that exploded, Reuters reported.

"All passengers traveling to, from, or via Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers and walkie-talkies in checked or cabin baggage," the airline said in a statement on its website on Friday. It added that any prohibited items found will be confiscated by Dubai Police as part of heightened security measures.

In the deadly September attacks, thousands of booby-trapped Hezbollah pagers and hundreds of radios exploded - attacks that were widely blamed on Israel but which it has not claimed, read the report.

The Middle East's largest airline also announced that flights to Iraq and Iran will remain suspended until Tuesday, while services to Jordan will resume on Sunday.

Flights to Lebanon will remain suspended until Oct. 15 due to escalating Israeli attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah, including strikes near Beirut's airport.

Several other airlines have also suspended flights to Beirut and other regional airports amid heightened tensions, Reuters reported.