Israel said early on Sunday it had carried out "a series of targeted strikes" on southern suburbs close to the Lebanese capital.

Palestinian officials say an Israeli strike on a mosque in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 19 people. Israel meanwhile intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Beirut on Sunday in its widening war on Iran-allied militant groups across the region.

Israeli claims that its soldiers began ground operations inside southern Lebanon "are false," Hezbollah said in a Tuesday statement. "No direct ground clashes have yet taken place between the resistance fighters and the occupation forces," the group said, referring to Israeli troops.