Israeli military said it had begun striking targets belonging to Hezbollah's elite unit, the Radwan Force, in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon, as it accuses the Iran-backed Islamist group of seeking to rebuild its forces in violation of a ceasefire agreement.

In Syria, Israel launched rare attacks on forces of the new government, while in Lebanon it took aim at the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Israeli strikes on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people on Tuesday, Lebanese state media reported, as the Israeli army said it hit Hezbollah targets in the area.