Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the Lebanese people to throw out Hezbollah and avoid “destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza”.
The message came as Israeli soldiers continued its operations inside Lebanon while its air force carries out bombing raids.
Netanyahu appealed directly to the Lebanese people to “free” the country from militant group Hezbollah to end the war.
Parts of Gaza have been reduced to rubble and tens of thousands killed following the Israeli response to the October 7 attacks.
He said in a video address: “You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.
“I say to you, the people of Lebanon: Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end.”
Israel has been targeting Hezbollah's leaders and weapons caches in a bombing campaign which followed an operation in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by the group’s leadership were rigged with explosives.
Overall the Israeli has killed a series of figures in the leadership chain.
The Israel Defence Force (IDF) said a strike at the weekend had killed Suhail Husseini, who it said was responsible for overseeing logistics, budget and management of the group.
Hezbollah has not commented on the claim.
However acting leader of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Kassem, said in a televised statement that his group's military capabilities are still intact.
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel on Monday on the anniversary of the October 7 attack in which around 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 hostages taken.
Following the attack Israel embarked on a military campaign Gaza that has killed about 42,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, which began firing rockets at Israel on October 8, 2023.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said an Israeli strike in the country's south, part of a wider bombardment, killed at least 10 firefighters.
Meanwhile Hezbollah has continued to fire missiles at Israel despite the Israeli offensive.
