An Israeli air strike hit an apartment within a residential building in Al Cola, a neighborhood in Beirut, during the early hours of Monday, according to reports from Lebanese TV channel al-Jadeed.

This was the first time Israel has targeted the center of the capital since the renewed outbreak of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel on October 8, 2023.

A security source told Reuters that at least two people were killed in the strike that hit the upper floor of the building.

There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.

Israel's increasing frequency of attacks against the Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi in Yemen have prompted fears that Middle East fighting could spin out of control and draw in Iran and the United States, Israel's main ally.

Lebanon's Health Ministry has said more than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks, without saying how many were civilians. The government said a million people – a fifth of the population – have fled their homes.

Israel has vowed to keep up the assault and says it wants to make its northern areas secure again for residents who have been forced to flee by Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Many of Israel's attacks have been carried out in the south of Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah has most of its operations, or Beirut's southern suburbs.

(With input from Xinhua, Reuters)