Jerusalem/IBNS: Israel Friday announced it had killed Hezbollah's elite unit commander in a strike on southern Lebanon earlier in the day that according to officials left 12 dead and dozens wounded in the outfit's stronghold across Beirut.

Israel claimed to kill Ibrahim Aqil, also wanted by the United States for involvement in the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, who headed the Iran-backed militant group's elite Radwan unit.

Israel launched its most aggressive strikes on south Lebanon as warplanes carried out bombings late on Thursday escalating the ongoing conflict between the Jewish nation and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah amid calls for restraint by the United States and the UK.

As Lebanon wilted under thousands of small blasts through pagers and walkie-talkies this week registering a heavy casualty, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) said it struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to degrade Hezbollah’s terrorist capabilities and infrastructure.

"With the direction of IDF intelligence, the IAF struck approximately 30 Hezbollah launchers and terrorist infrastructure sites, containing approximately 150 launcher barrels that were ready to fire projectiles toward Israeli territory," it said.

Additionally, the IDF struck Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure and a weapons storage facility in multiple areas in southern Lebanon.

The White House meanwhile appealed for an urgent diplomatic solution while Britain called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

The U.S. is "afraid and concerned about potential escalation," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing, reported Reuters.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah group earlier on Thursday said it launched at least 17 attacks on military sites in northern Israel, according to CNN. 

Earlier, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the pager and walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon and Syria  crossed “all red lines” vowing to retaliate.

According to Al Jazeera, in his first televised speech since the unprecedented attacks that killed at least 37 people, Nasrallah on Thursday called them a “big blow in terms of security and humanity” but said they have failed to bring the group to its knees.