An attack by Hezbollah has killed at least one person in northern Israel, the first such death from fire originating in Lebanon since the United States and Israel started their war on Iran more than three weeks ago.

Hezbollah claimed Sunday’s attack, saying it was targeting “a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers with a rocket barrage” in the northern community of Misgav Am.

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The incident came as Israel sent more troops to support its ground invasion in southern Lebanon, which has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced some one million since the conflict reignited earlier this month.

Israel’s ZAKA 360 emergency response unit on Sunday said a person was pronounced dead after a strike on their vehicle “carried out by a rocket fired from Lebanon”.

Local firefighters said flames had engulfed two vehicles after a “direct hit”.

“We arrived at the scene and saw two vehicles on fire. During the firefighters’ extinguishing operations, we identified a man in the driver’s seat,” paramedics from Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical service said, adding that he was later pronounced dead.

The identity of the deceased is not yet known.

Israel orders destruction of bridges, homes

Israel has been pounding Lebanon with air raids since a cross-border attack by Hezbollah on March 2, two days after the US-Israel war on Iran started, killing its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and triggering an escalating conflict in the Middle East.

On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said he has instructed the military to speed up the demolition of Lebanese homes in the south to end what he called the “threats to Israel”.

Katz said the Israeli army has also been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani River being used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

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He said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and he instructed Israeli forces “to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity” to “prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south”, he said in a statement.

Israeli air raids targeted several houses and shops in the southern Lebanese district of Tyre on Sunday.

Hezbollah also said on Sunday its fighters repeatedly targeted Israeli soldiers and vehicles in or near the border town of Taybeh, as well as in or near Khiam, a strategic town where the group has claimed attacks on Israeli forces in recent days.

Israeli military’s claims

In a related development, the Israeli military said it killed a commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force and two others in a strike in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, it said Abu Khalil Barji was killed along with two other Hezbollah members in an air strike in the Majdal Selem area.

The Israeli military also claimed to have killed a Hamas operative in Lebanon who it claims was involved in financing the Palestinian group’s activities.

The military said Walid Muhammad Dib was targeted earlier this week in a strike carried out at the direction of the Shin Bet intelligence agency.

It claimed that Dib was responsible for transferring funds to Hamas networks in the occupied West Bank, Lebanon and elsewhere, as well as recruiting operatives.

Both the claims could not be independently verified.

According to Lebanese authorities, at least 1,024 people have been killed and 2,740 injured in Israeli attacks since March 2.