Israel’s military said Thursday it is pressing ahead with expanded ground operations in southern Lebanon, releasing footage showing the destruction of a Hezbollah command center and weapons depot as fighting with the Iran-backed group intensifies.

The Israeli army said the two sites were demolished during operations carried out by the Golani Brigade, adding that its troops have destroyed more than 200 Hezbollah infrastructure sites since the start of ground operations earlier this month.

On the other hand, Hezbollah said it launched dozens of attacks on Wednesday, including more than 80 operations—the highest daily number since the start of the current war—and targeted Israeli troops in nine border towns. It also said it fired more than 100 rockets at Israeli positions, including forces massed near the border towns of Naqura and Qawzah.

Overnight, Hezbollah said it fired missiles toward central Israel, targeting military sites including the Kirya headquarters in Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, the Israeli army said several of the projectiles were intercepted by air defenses, while Israeli media reported that six rockets heading toward central areas were all shot down. Sirens sounded across central Israel during the attack.

In northern Israel, rockets fired toward the Haifa area caused no casualties, while the Israeli military said one soldier was seriously wounded by rocket fire in southern Lebanon.

Moreover, the Israeli army announced on Wednesday that it had captured a commander from a Hezbollah-affiliated militia during a raid on the Lebanese side of Mount Dov earlier this week. According to the military, troops from the elite Egoz commando unit detained a cell commander from the Lebanese Resistance Companies, a group it says is funded by Hezbollah and involved in attacks on Israeli forces. The operative was taken to Israel for questioning by Unit 504 of the Military Intelligence Directorate, which specializes in human intelligence, the army said.

In a statement posted on X, Israeli army spokesperson Ella Wawiya said the military is also targeting Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure.

“We have struck more than 2,000 Hezbollah targets and killed around 700 operatives, hundreds of them from the Radwan Force,” she said.

She added that “the Iranian regime is harming the Lebanese State both directly and indirectly,” and accused Tehran of contributing to the conflict, saying Iranian missiles had landed in Beirut. She also criticized the Lebanese Army, saying it had failed to remove Hezbollah from southern Lebanon.

“We will not compromise on disarming Hezbollah and will continue to intensify strikes against it,” she said.

On the ground in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire continued across the south. Several areas in the Bint Jbeil district came under shelling, including the outskirts of Shaqra and the Wadi al-Slouqi area at dawn. Israeli warplanes also struck Ayta al-Shaab, while artillery fire hit Kfartibnit in the Nabatieh district. Further strikes targeted Siddiqine and the city of Bint Jbeil, while heavy shelling was reported in Wadi al-Slouqi, Wadi al-Hujeir, and the town of Khiyam.

An Israeli soldier was killed during an overnight exchange of fire with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, the military said on Thursday. The soldier, a member of the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, is the third to be killed since the Israeli army launched ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military said that troops killed several of the Hezbollah fighters during the clash and are continuing to search the area for additional gunmen who may have fled.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported additional Israeli strikes and shelling across southern areas on Wednesday, where the health ministry said at least eight people were killed. The agency also reported an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

The Israeli military said it targeted a command center in the area after issuing evacuation warnings. An AFP correspondent reported widespread destruction at the site, with debris covering streets and visible damage to residential buildings. The area has been repeatedly targeted and is largely deserted after residents fled.

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army said ground troops also dismantled a weapons storage facility, while the air force killed several militants during operations.

Amid the escalating violence, officials warned of a worsening humanitarian situation. In the southern town of Dibil, Mayor Akl al-Naddaf described conditions as “dangerous,” particularly along the outskirts where Israeli forces are positioned.

“The Israelis are on the outskirts, and we do not know what is happening there,” he told Voice of Lebanon radio.

He said residents had fled toward the center of the town, which is now effectively besieged.

“There is no access and no way for food to reach us. Around 1,700 people are trapped in the center after being spread across the town,” he said.

Al-Naddaf appealed to Lebanese authorities and the Vatican for urgent intervention to prevent what he warned could become a humanitarian disaster.

“We are peaceful people. We want to live in peace, and we have nothing to do with this war,” he said.

He also urged the Lebanese Army to maintain a security presence in the area, noting that a battalion had been withdrawn amid rapidly escalating developments.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had already established what he described as a “genuine security zone” inside Lebanon and was now expanding it further.

“We are simply creating a larger buffer zone,” Netanyahu said in a video released by his office, adding that the move is aimed at preventing cross-border incursions and missile fire into Israel.

Hezbollah, however, signaled it would continue fighting, with its leader Naim Qassem rejecting the prospect of negotiations under fire, saying such talks would amount to “surrender.”