“The number of dead has risen to 45 people,” a ministry statement said, updating an earlier toll of 37 from the Friday attack.

It added “work continues to remove the rubble for the third day in a row” and that DNA sampling would be used to determine the identities of some of the bodies.

The Lebanese news agency reported that the targeted building was hit by four rockets, causing the collapse of neighboring structures as well.

The Israeli army announced that the strike also resulted in the assassination of a prominent Hezbollah military leader, Ibrahim Aqil, along with other senior commanders.

Hezbollah confirmed that at least 16 of its members, including senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and top commander Ahmed Wahbi, were killed in the Israeli raid.

This strike marked the third Israeli attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, Hezbollah’s stronghold in Lebanon, amid ongoing exchanges of fire over the past year.

Previous notable assassinations include Hamas political bureau deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri in January and Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukr in July.

The attack occurred against the backdrop of a “new wave” of Israeli escalation in Lebanon, as Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Thursday the war with Hezbollah has entered a “new phase”.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,400 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

Sirens were activated across northern Israel in the early hours of Sunday.

If confirmed, it would be Hezbollah’s farthest-reaching attack inside Israel since the start of the ongoing cross-border clashes in October last year.

The Israeli military claimed that 10 rockets were launched from Lebanon and most were intercepted.

On Saturday, the Israeli army announced it carried out hundreds of air strikes across southern Lebanon in an effort to abort a Hezbollah attack.

The Israeli military also issued restrictions on large gatherings in northern Israel, including Haifa.

There have been no reports of casualties or other impacts of the rockets in Israel on Sunday.

But the latest violence could lead to an “imminent catastrophe” in the Middle East, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert warned on Sunday, adding a military solution was not the answer.

“With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer.”

In its statement, Hezbollah said it carried out the attack with so-called Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 rockets, not the World War II era, Soviet-made Katyusha rockets that it has been using over the past several months.

The latest barrage of rocket fire comes after a week of Israeli attacks across Lebanon.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, wireless communication devices associated with Hezbollah exploded across Lebanon, injuring thousands and killing dozens, including civilians. Lebanon blamed the unprecedented attack on Israel.

Israel also conducted an air strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday that killed tens of people and injured dozens more.

Senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was among those killed in the attack that levelled an entire residential building.

Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in daily clashes since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.

The Lebanese group says it will continue its attacks on Israeli bases until the regime ends its Gaza offensive.

The violence has displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

The two sides appear to be in an escalatory spiral, risking a major conflict. Hezbollah has stressed that it is not seeking an all-out war, but it is ready for one should it occur.

Israeli leaders have promised to push Hezbollah off the border and return its citizens to communities in the north, including through war if necessary.

Lebanon movement Hezbollah reported Sunday that deaths in the conflict with Israel hit 501 since the outbreak of hostilities in October 2023.