The Israeli military also said it was battling “new enemy targets” in southern Lebanon. An escalation in fighting could undermine efforts to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

A senior Lebanese official has signalled that Hezbollah is ready to pull its forces away from the Lebanese-Israeli border in any ceasefire, while rejecting Israel's demand for freedom to act against the Iran-backed group in Lebanon in the future.

The Israeli military attacked the southern suburbs of Beirut, seen as a stronghold of Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah, with at least four airstrikes on Thursday, according to a dpa reporter who witnessed them.