In eastern Lebanon, intensified Israeli airstrikes killed 40 people in 10 different towns in Baalbek province, the ministry said. Rescuers were searching under the rubble of destroyed buildings, said Gov. Bachir Khodr, calling it “a very violent day” in his province.

In southern Lebanon, five people were killed by an Israeli strike in Tyre province, and seven others were killed by a strike in Nabatiyeh province, the Health Ministry said.

In Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported at least 12 strikes throughout Thursday, after relative calm while US envoy Amos Hochstein visited earlier this week, seeking to broker an end to the Israeli escalation.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on social media platform X issued several rounds of evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, as well as areas in and around the southern coastal city of Tyre, but none for east Lebanon.

AFPTV footage showed columns of smoke rising from the southern suburbs, usually a densely populated residential district but now largely emptied.

Amid a series of attack claims, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted "the Hatzor air base" near Israel's southern city of Ashdod, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Lebanon's southern border, "with a missile salvo" -- its deepest target in more than a year of hostilities.

In 10 separate statements, Lebanon's Hezbollah said its fighters also targeted Israeli troops in and near the south Lebanon town of Khiam, including with artillery, rockets and drones.

The NNA said "the enemy army" was "blowing up homes and residential buildings during its incursion into the town".

Lebanon's official news agency and Hezbollah have reported fighting and air strikes in the Khiam area ever since Israeli ground troops invaded Lebanon on September 30.

As of Thursday, the Health Ministry has recorded at least 3,583 people killed and 15,244 wounded in Lebanon during the 13-month Israeli aggression, with the majority of casualties taking place after Israel’s escalation and ground invasion in late September.

The Israeli military said Wednesday that three soldiers were killed in south Lebanon, bringing to 52 the number killed in Lebanon since the start of Israel's ground invasion.