Lebanon's state electricity company said on Thursday that an Israeli attack knocked out power to a region of southern Lebanon.

Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said Thursday that Israel has killed 500 Hezbollah fighters in its current war against the group, among them 200 from the elite Radwan unit. He gave no further evidence.

The claim came as the death toll in Lebanon topped 1,000.

Russia on Thursday blamed Israel for what it called a "targeted" airstrike that wounded a TV crew from state-run RT in Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli strikes and ground operations in the country's south.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Thursday that tying Lebanon to regional calculations would give Israel a "pretext to expand its aggression" against the country, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for more than two weeks.

Lebanon was brought into the regional war on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel in response to the killing of its ally Iran's supreme leader in Israeli-U.S. attacks.

The U.S. administration believes it is in the interest of both Israel and the U.S. to begin negotiations with Lebanon, but disagreements persist regarding the details, with Israel insisting on conducting them "under fire," U.S. sources in Washington told Al-Jadeed TV.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Hezbollah on Thursday of trying to drag its opponents, including the LF, into a civil war. "Noone will clash with them except the army and the security forces," he told MTV in an interview.

Geagea said Hezbollah's battle is "domestic" and removing Israel is a fake slogan the group uses. He said Hezbollah's priorities are tied exclusively to Iran, even if they might occasionally align with Lebanon's interests, and called for the arrest of Mahmoud Qmati after his recent statements against the satte and for ending Hezbollah's participation in the government after "its coup against the government's decisions".

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said Hezbollah "must realize that its military situation is has ended," but added that it would be "a mistake for anyone to think they can eliminate Hezbollah's political wing."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will not present any French initiative during his visit to Lebanon on Thursday, a diplomatic source said.

Hezbollah said on Thursday its fighters were battling Israeli forces in south Lebanon, as a military source on the ground said Israeli troops were slowly advancing while "systematically destroying" border towns.

Hezbollah said it targeted overnight into Thursday Kiryat Shmona, Kfar Yuval, Misgav Am, Dishon, Manara, Naharaya, Haifa and Kfar Giladi in north Israel and Israeli soldiers and Merkava tanks near the southern border towns of Houla, Taybeh, Aitaroun, Odaisseh, Rob Tlatine, Alma al-Shaab and Markaba with rockets, artillery shells and attack drones.

Israeli strikes targeted overnight into Thursday Mayfadoun, al-Naqoura, al-Qantara, Tyre, al-Hosh, Insariyeh, al-Bazourieh, al-Rihan, Tayr Debba, Debaal, the border town of al-Khiam and a bridge in Qasmiyeh in south Lebanon. Artillery shelled Arnoun, al-Ghandourieh, Maroun al-Rass, Bint Jbeil, Ibl al-Seqi and wadi al-Slouqi.

At least four people were killed and ten were wounded in the strikes on the south, the National News Agency said.