"As part of the response to the attack and the assassination carried out by the enemy" in southern Lebanon's Tyre area on Wednesday, Hezbollah said in a statement its fighters "carried out an aerial attack with a squadron of explosive drones" targeting Israeli bases across the border area including in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

Hezbollah added that its fighters also fired "more than 200 rockets of various types" at several Israeli bases across the border.

The attack on Thursday was one of the largest in the months-long conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border, with tensions boiling in recent weeks.

In response, the Israeli military said its forces were "striking launch posts in southern Lebanon" after "numerous projectiles and suspicious aerial targets crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory," many of which it said were intercepted.

Israel said about 160 “projectiles” were launched towards the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and over 15 drones into Israel, but that it had intercepted some of them. The military added that "fires broke out in a number of areas in northern Israel" following the attacks.

A number of residents who live closest to the flames were asked to evacuate their homes, according to Israeli media. Channel 12 news reported that 18 teams of firefighters are working on the scene.

The Israeli army does not immediately provide information on potential casualties in the attacks. However, Israeli sources reported that a soldier was killed and others were injured, one of whom was in critical condition, following a bombing that targeted their vehicle on the outskirts of Golan.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that one Israeli drone strike in the border town of Houla killed at least one person. Meanwhile, Israeli jets broke the sound barrier over the Lebanese capital and other areas in the country.

Israel on Wednesday acknowledged that it had killed Mohamed Naameh Nasser, who headed one of Hezbollah's three regional divisions in southern Lebanon, a day earlier.

Hours after the killing, Hezbollah launched scores of Katyusha rockets and Falaq rockets with heavy warheads into northern Israel and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near daily cross-border fire since the war on Gaza erupted on 7 October, stoking fears that the clashes could escalate into a new all-out war.

The border clashes have killed at least 496 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters but also including 95 civilians, according to an AFP tally. Israeli authorities say at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians were killed.

All-out war The US and France are continuing to scramble to prevent the skirmishes from spiralling into an all-out war, which they fear could spill over across the region.

Washington, in its shuttle diplomatic efforts, initially hoped for calm along the Lebanon-Israel border in a deal that is not linked to the war in Gaza. However, the US said that an end to the war in Gaza would lead to calm in Lebanon and northern Israel as well.

Israel sees Hezbollah as its most direct threat and estimates that it has an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles, including precision-guided missiles. In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war that ended in a draw.