Beirut, Lebanon - The Israeli military said Tuesday that troops have started "ground raids" in villages in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah said it had targeted "enemy soldiers" at the countries' border.
A Lebanese security official said Israel had conducted at least six strikes on south Beirut, while Syrian state media reported deadly strikes around the capital Damascus.
Despite international calls for de-escalation, Israel has vowed to keep fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah and declared a military zone in parts of its border with Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned the battle was not over, even after a massive strike on Beirut that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
Israel's military said troops launched ground raids targeting Hezbollah "in villages close to the border".
The targets "pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel", the military said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin late Monday gave Washington's backing to Israel "dismantling attack infrastructure along the border".
Hezbollah has said it is "ready if Israel decides to enter by land".
- Deadly strikes on Damascus - As Israel announced its ground raids, Syria's official news agency SANA said the country's air defence systems had intercepted three rounds of strikes in the Damascus area.
State television said anchor Safaa Ahmad was killed "in the Israeli aggression" on Damascus, while SANA reported three civilians killed and nine others wounded.
As the Israeli air force pounded south Beirut, a Palestinian camp official in south Lebanon said an Israeli strike hit Ain al-Helweh camp in the city of Sidon, targeting a Palestinian.
The strike hit "the house of the son of Mounir Maqdah," the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
Lebanon's Health Minister Firass Abiad said more than 1,000 people have been killed since September 17.
UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said: "Well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon", while more than 100,000 have fled to neighbouring Syria.
- 'Little time' - The US, Qatar, and Egypt tried for months to broker such a deal, which Netanyahu's critics accused him of obstructing. In Gaza, the civil defense authority said Tuesday that Israeli bombardment on homes killed 12 people in the central Nuseirat refugee camp. Seven others were killed in Israeli strikes on a school sheltering displaced people east of Gaza City.
A UN Satellite Centre assessment issued Monday said "two-thirds of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have sustained damage" in nearly a year of war.
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