Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir has approved plans for the "next phase" of the war against Hezbollah, saying the battle against the Lebanese Iran-backed group "has only just begun."

Benjamin Netanyahu must soon decide when to hold Israel’s next elections. With war raging on multiple fronts and no end in sight, Israel’s enemies in Iran and Lebanon may help make that decision for him.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Sunday that the army had been ordered to destroy more bridges over the Litani river being used by Hezbollah in south Lebanon and to step up the demolition of houses.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I instructed the IDF (army) to immediately destroy all the bridges over the Litani River that are used for terrorist activity, in order to prevent Hezbollah terrorists and weapons from moving south," Katz said in a statement.

Israel said rocket fire from Lebanon killed one person on Sunday as Hezbollah said it attacked soldiers in northern Israel, the first fatality there in fire from Lebanon since the latest war erupted.

During almost three weeks of war in Lebanon, British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu-Sittah has had no respite, telling AFP he has been working "against the clock" to save children wounded in Israeli bombardment.

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said Saturday that "the Northern Command has approved plans to continue the fighting" against Hezbollah.

"There will be no more containment, only initiative and attack," Zamir said.

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Beirut's southerb suburbs, claiming to target Iran-backed Hezbollah early Saturday, while Lebanese state media reported strikes in the country's south.

Hezbollah denied that it has a presence inside the United Arab Emirates, after Emirati authorities announced they had arrested at least five members of a "terrorist network" linked to Hezbollah and its backer, Iran.

Hezbollah said Friday it had targeted Israeli soldiers in six south Lebanon villages, in a series of statements, as Israeli ground forces attempt to push into southern Lebanon.

After visiting Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa affirmed that "the United States is concerned with peace prevailing in Lebanon and for it to be independent and free from war."