ANKARA

More than 25 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since Thursday night, according to Lebanon's health minister.

In a press conference on Friday, Firass Abiad said the airstrikes targeted various areas across the country.

Nearly a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah sparked by the war in Gaza has displaced thousands on both sides of the border.

Israeli forces began large-scale airstrikes on Lebanon earlier this week, killing over 700 people and injuring more than 2,000 others, and is said to be preparing for possible ground assault.

More than 1,500 people have been killed since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah erupted last October, according to the ministry.

Hezbollah says it is acting in support of Hamas and will not stop until there is a cease-fire in the Palestinian enclave.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi