Beirut, Nov 24 (IANS): Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and military sources have reportedly said that two people were killed and five others were injured in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.

A civilian was killed, and five others were injured in an Israeli air raid on a house on Thursday in Lebanon's southern village of Aita al-Shaab, while Hezbollah announced that one of its fighters was killed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lebanese military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the news agency that Israeli drones and warplanes on Thursday carried out 13 airstrikes targeting several areas in southern Lebanon, including Iqlim al-Tuffah, 20 km from the Lebanon-Israel border.

Israeli artillery fired more than 600 shells at many villages across southern Lebanon, the sources added, stressing that the strikes were the most severe since the latest round of escalation along the borderline.

Hezbollah announced that its fighters attacked an Israeli infantry force hiding inside a house in the Al-Manara settlement, killing four soldiers, in addition to attacking several Israeli positions and the Birkat Risha site on the border.

Also on Thursday, specialized medical teams at the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health trained around 1,100 health personnel in 63 hospitals to prepare for a possible expansion of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.

The Lebanon-Israel border has been witnessing increased tensions for over six weeks after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel on October 8 in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day. Israeli forces responded by firing heavy artillery at several areas in southeastern Lebanon.