An Israeli strike targeted an apartment in a residential building in Ain Saadeh on Sunday, a town east of Beirut in the hills overlooking the city, the state-run National News Agency reported.

The area had until now been spared clashes between Hezbollah and Israel, which on Sunday stepped up its strikes on the Lebanese capital's southern suburbs, including an attack that killed four people near Beirut's main public hospital.

Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir visited troops in southern Lebanon on Sunday and pledged to intensify strikes against Hezbollah.

Israeli strikes on south Beirut and its suburbs killed at least four people on Sunday, a day after Israel threatened to hit Lebanon's main border crossing with Syria, forcing it to close.

President Joseph Aoun hit back Sunday at those who have criticized the Lebanese state for pursuing diplomacy and negotiations.

Hezbollah on Sunday said it had targeted an Israeli warship with a cruise missile off the Lebanese coast, the first such claim by the group since the start of the Middle East war.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it would strike the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, urging people to evacuate immediately.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Saturday said Iran is violating Lebanon's sovereignty "through Hezbollah," in comments related to the war that has been raging since March 2.

The Israeli military said Saturday it had begun striking "Hezbollah infrastructure" in Beirut's southern suburbs after it destroyed a bridge in West Bekaa to allegedly prevent the Iran-backed group's reinforcements from crossing.

Israel destroyed a bridge in West Bekaa on Friday, Lebanese official media reported, after Israel's military warned it would hit two bridges in the area to prevent possible transfer of reinforcements to Hezbollah.

The United Nations force in Lebanon said a blast at one of its positions wounded three peacekeepers on Friday, the third such incident in a week.