Israel has escalated its conflict with Hezbollah, with a deadly strike in Beirut that killed a top militant commander who Israel claims was planning to “murder and kill innocents” in a Hamas-like attack.

The Israeli bomb struck and destroyed a building in a residential area of the Lebanese capital on Saturday (AEST), killing 14 people and injuring more than 60, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

Afterwards, Hezbollah launched a volley of 140 rockets towards northern Israel, triggering air siren raids.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is the worst since they fought a war in 2006.

Israel’s strike inflicted another humiliating blow on Hezbollah just days after the group’s pagers and walkie-talkies exploded, killing 37 people and wounding thousands.

That communications attack was widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.

In the latest bombing, Israel said it had successfully wiped out the militant Ibrahim Aqil and other senior Hezbollah figures in its “targeted strike” in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israel claims to have killed top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil. Photo: US Dept of Justice

Aqil was the acting commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force.

He had a $US7 million ($10 million) bounty on his head from the United States over his link to the deadly bombing of Marines in Lebanon in 1983, according to the US State Department website.

Israel Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Aqil and the Radwan unit were planning to attack and occupy Israel’s northern areas of Israel.

He compared their plans to the Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October.

‘No place of refuge’

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a brief statement following the Beirut blast.

“Our goals are clear, and our actions speak for themselves,” said Netanyahu.

Israel’s Defence minister Yoav Gallant said “our enemies have no place of refuge”.

“We will continue operating against Hezbollah until we achieve our mission: ensuring the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” he posted to X.

About 60,000 people are unable to live in their homes in northern Israel because of Hezbollah’s rocket attacks there.

Thick smoke rises above the southern suburbs of Beirut after an Israel strike. Photo: Getty

Israel’s strike marks the second time in less than two months it has targeted a leading Hezbollah military commander in Beirut.

In July, an Israeli air strike killed Fuad Shukr — the group’s top military commander and the most senior figure to be killed.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said he was not aware of any Israeli notification to the US before the Beirut strike, adding that US citizens were strongly urged not to travel to Lebanon, or to leave if they are already there.

“War is not inevitable up there at the Blue Line, and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to try to prevent it,” said Kirby, referring to the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.

Reuters witnesses heard jet noise over Beirut around the time of the attack, and a cloud of smoke could be seen rising from the area of the strike.

“The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) conducted a targeted strike in Beirut. At this moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines,” the Israeli military said.

Footage showed a badly damaged building and the street strewn with rubble and burnt out cars.

Ignited by the Gaza war, the conflict has intensified significantly this week.

On Thursday night, the Israeli military carried out its most intensive air strikes in southern Lebanon since the conflict erupted almost a year ago.

Tens of thousands have had to leave homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border.

While the conflict has largely been contained to areas at or near the frontier, this week’s escalation has heightened concerns that it could widen and further intensify.

The Israeli military said army chief General Herzi Halevi met the head of the Northern Command and other division commanders on Friday morning.

Israeli newspapers reported that due to the current situation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had delayed his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week by a day and would arrive on Wednesday.

The Iranian embassy in Lebanon said it “condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli madness that crossed all lines with targeting residential buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs”.

-with AAP