Dozens killed as Israel ramps up strikes and clashes with Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon

The Israeli military ramped up strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon overnight into Saturday as it continues to clash with Hezbollah militants in the area.

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The bombing campaign intensified on Friday night when Israeli forces struck the town Nabi Chit in the eastern Baalbek district at least 12 times, with Hezbollah saying Israeli troops infiltrated the town from the air.

On Saturday, Lebanon's health ministry said the strikes had killed at least 41 people. "The series of raids launched by the Israeli enemy on the town of Nabi Chit and surrounding towns in the Baalbek district resulted in a total of 41 citizens killed and 40 others wounded," the ministry said in a statement.

Lebanon's military said three of its soldiers were killed "as a result of the violent enemy shelling that accompanied" a commando operation carried out by Israeli forces.

According to Lebanon’s state media, Israeli forces landed in the eastern Lebanese town of Nabi Chit late Friday and were intercepted by members of the militant Hezbollah group, triggering a gunfight that lasted until the early hours of Saturday.

Later on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said another six people had been killed, including four children, in an incident relating to a separate Israeli strike on the town of Shmistar in eastern Lebanon.

Israel later confirmed striking Hezbollah targets in the south and east of Lebanon, claiming to have killed commanders while hitting military sites including command centres.

Lebanon has been engulfed by the expanding Middle East war, after the Iran-backed group Hezbollah on Monday fired missiles at Israel to avenge the death of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel says it launched an operation to locate missing pilot

The Israeli military says its special forces conducted an operation deep inside Lebanon in an attempt to gather information about an Israeli navigator who has been missing for nearly 40 years.

"As part of IDF activities in Lebanon, IDF special forces operated overnight in an attempt to locate findings related to the missing navigator Ron Arad. No IDF injuries were reported," the Israeli army said in a statement.

"No findings related to him were located at the search site."

Air force navigator Arad has been missing since he was captured after he ejected from his combat jet over Lebanon in 1986 as the aircraft went down.

Arad is presumed dead, though his remains have never been returned.

The Israeli army said in its statement that it "will continue to operate relentlessly, day and night, out of a deep commitment to bringing all of Israel's sons, the fallen and the missing, back home to the State of Israel."

After landing and disembarking, the advancing troops "were engaged" by a group of Hezbollah fighters as they reached a cemetery in Nabi Chit, Hezbollah said.

"The clash escalated after the enemy force was exposed," it added, saying the Israeli troops launched intense strikes before evacuating.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday warned Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that his country would pay a "very heavy price" if it fails to disarm Hezbollah.

Addressing the president, Katz said in a statement broadcast on Israeli television that if "the choice becomes protecting our civilians and the safety of our soldiers or Lebanon, we will choose to defend our civilians and our soldiers, and the government of Lebanon and Lebanon will pay a very heavy price."

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon urged Lebanon and Israel on Saturday to enter talks to negotiate an end to hostilities.

"As bad as things are today, they are set to get even worse," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said.

"Talks between Lebanon and Israel can be the game changer needed to save future generations from going, time and again, through the same nightmare."