JERUSALEM

The Israeli army reported on Saturday that its warplanes bombed military buildings held by the Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon and intercepted a suspicious airborne target heading towards Israel.

In a statement, the army said that on Saturday morning, "Air Force fighters bombed military buildings belonging to Hezbollah in the Hula region in southern Lebanon."

"Israeli air defenses succeeded in intercepting a suspicious air target in the skies of Lebanon, which was on its way to Israel," it added.

Earlier on Saturday morning, missile sirens sounded in the Manara area of northern Upper Galilee, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

In a statement, Hezbollah claimed its fighters "targeted a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers near the Manara military site with artillery shells, achieving direct hits."

Fears have grown of a full-fledged war between Israel and Hezbollah amid an exchange of cross-border attacks.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed over 38,800 people since last October, following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi