Lebanon says 15 killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon said 15 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Wednesday, including two rare strikes in mountain areas outside Hizbollah's traditional strongholds in the south and east.

The health ministry said an Israeli strike on the village of Joun in the Chouf mountains, southeast of Beirut, killed four people. 

Another Israeli strike killed three people in Maaysra -- a Shiite-majority village in a mostly Christian mountain area about 25 kilometres north of Beirut.

Eight people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south, the ministry said.

Earlier, a Lebanese security official had told AFP "an Israeli strike targeted a house in the village of Maaysra", requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

A resident said the strike hit her village, destroying a house and a cafe.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that "two rockets fell in Maaysra".

The Israeli military said it was carrying out "extensive" air strikes in south Lebanon and the eastern Beqaa Valley after Hizbollah fired a ballistic missile that reached the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv for the first time before being intercepted.

Longtime foes Hizbollah and Israel have been locked in near-daily exchanges of cross-border fire since Palestinian group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, sparking war in Gaza.

The focus of Israel's firepower has shifted sharply from Gaza to Lebanon in recent days.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday warned Israel would not stop its military operations against Hizbollah until northern residents can safely return to their homes.

"We are striking Hizbollah with blows it never imagined. We are doing this with full force, we are doing this with guile. One thing I promise you: we will not rest until they return home", Netanyahu said in a statement.

Earlier in the evening, Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi told soldiers to be prepared for possible entry into Lebanon.

"We are not stopping. We will keep attacking and harming (Hezbollah) everywhere," Halevi said.

"To do this, we are preparing for the course of the manoeuvre, and the sense is that your military boots, your manoeuvre boots, will enter enemy territory.

"These are the things that will allow us to safely repatriate the residents of the north later," the army chief added.