Multiple dead, dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on Beirut suburbs

At least two people have been killed and 76 others wounded in Israeli strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said it struck the headquarters of the Lebanese group Hezbollah on Friday.

"The IDF (military) carried out a precise strike on the central headquarters of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah in Dahiyeh," military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement on Friday.

The headquarters is "located under residential buildings in the heart of Dahiyeh in Beirut," Hagari said.

There was no immediate word on casualties in the strike, however, Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said information indicates a "large number of victims".

"This new Israeli aggression proves that the Israeli enemy doesn't care about all the international efforts and calls for a ceasefire," Mikati said in a statement issued by his office.

He urged the international community to stop the "genocidal war that it (Israel) is waging on Lebanon".

Nasrallah was target?

Israel media reported that Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was the target of Beirut strikes.

A senior Iranian security official told Reuters that Tehran is checking the status of Nasrallah, while another source close to Hezbollah said he is alive.

However, a source close to Hezbollah said the massive Israeli strikes flattened six buildings.

"The Israeli strikes levelled six buildings," the source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, after the Israeli military said it carried out "a precise strike" on the group's central headquarters.

Ambulances were seen heading to the scene of the explosions, sirens wailing.

The strike came soon after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Earlier in the day, an Israeli air strike killed a family of nine in a Lebanese border village, authorities said, as Lebanon struggled to deal with a rising death toll and a wave of tens of thousands fleeing their homes.

Israel dramatically intensified its air strikes in Lebanon this week. The scope of Israel’s operation remains unclear, but officials have said a ground invasion to push the militant group away from the border is a possibility.