Israel carried out strikes across Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least nine people in the south according to authorities, with raids also targeting a highway not far from Beirut outside of Hezbollah's traditional strongholds.

The Israeli military called on residents of more than half a dozen villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate on Saturday ahead of expected attacks against alleged Hezbollah targets despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt the fighting.

Hezbollah said it launched missiles and drones at military bases in Israel in retaliation for a recent attack on Beirut's southern suburbs and ongoing strikes in the south, where Lebanese authorities reported 11 people killed on Friday.

Israeli strikes on Friday killed 10 people in four locations in southern Lebanon, the health ministry said, raising an earlier toll.

The United States will facilitate two days of "intensive talks" between the governments of Israel and Lebanon on May 14 and 15, the U.S. State Department said on Friday

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio blamed Hezbollah Friday for the situation in Lebanon, accusing the group of being fully dependent on Iranian support.

"The reason why Lebanon faces bombings, the reason why Lebanon faces violence, is because of Hezbollah. It is Hezbollah that’s imposing this on them," Rubio told reporters during a visit to Rome.

Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, is in Lebanon this Friday and Saturday to welcome the seventh humanitarian flight landing in Beirut. This Humanitarian Air Bridge will deliver essential health and shelter items – from the EU's own stock and its partners – to the most vulnerable, reaffirming the European Union's solidarity with Lebanon and steadfast humanitarian support to the country.

The Commissioner is meeting with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri, as well as humanitarian partners on the ground: United Nations agencies, local and international humanitarian actors, and women-led associations. The Commissioner is also visiting EU-funded projects, including shelters, a reception center for Syrian refugees, a children's hospital, a Palestinian refugee camp, and heavily affected areas.

An Israeli strike on Friday killed four people including two women in the southern Lebanon town of Toura, the health ministry said, as state media and AFP correspondents reported Israel was conducting widespread strikes.

The Health Ministry in Lebanon said that an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Toura near the port city of Tyre killed four people and wounded eight.

Lebanon and Israel will hold a third round of direct talks in Washington on Thursday and Friday next week.

"Thursday's discussions will focus solely on consolidating the ceasefire, while Friday's discussions will move to other issues related to Israeli withdrawal, the return of captives, the return of displaced persons, and other details," MTV reported.

Air raid sirens sounded in several cities in northern Israel on Friday after shelling from Lebanon, the Israeli military said, amid a fragile truce with Hezbollah.

After the sirens were activated, "a number of launches were detected toward Israeli territory," an Israeli military statement said.