Israel army says will continue to 'remove threats' after strikes on Lebanon

Israel's military said Monday it was committed to the ceasefire but would continue to "remove threats" from Hezbollah, after the Lebanese health ministry reported 12 people killed in overnight strikes.

The Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah "infrastructure sites" across southern Lebanon in response to the launch of two explosive drones towards its troops, as well as "several terrorists" it said were transferring weapons.

In a separate statement, it said it killed a Hezbollah member in the area of the Beaufort fortress who opened fire on its troops from inside a building, and that "during the close-quarters encounter, two IDF soldiers were lightly injured".

The militant was later "eliminated", the military said.

Eleven of the victims in the overnight strikes, which included two children and four women, died in one attack on a building in Kfar Rumman, the Lebanese health ministry said.

An AFP photographer saw the three-story building completely destroyed, with school textbooks and remnants of furniture scattered among the rubble.

"The claim that several uninvolved individuals were harmed as a result of the strikes is being reviewed," the Israeli military said, adding that the it "will continue to operate to remove threats while remaining committed to the ceasefire agreement".

Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war in March after Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of its backer Iran.

Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion of Lebanon that Beirut says have killed more than 4,300 people.

Violence has decreased since a US-Iran memorandum of understanding on the broader regional conflict in June and an Israel-Lebanon framework agreement later that month.

Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared "security zone" around 10 kilometres (six miles) deep inside Lebanon along the border.

On Thursday, Israel announced it had taken control of the Ali Taher ridge, which had served as a strategic position for Hezbollah in the Nabatiyeh governorate. The Lebanese movement has not confirmed the statement.

On Sunday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Washington and the international community to help stop Israeli attacks.

Fresh talks are expected this month between Lebanese and Israeli officials, although no date has yet been announced.