UN peacekeepers in Lebanon warned Saturday against a "catastrophic" regional conflict as Israeli forces battled Hezbollah and Hamas on two fronts, on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Israel has faced a fierce diplomatic backlash over incidents in south Lebanon that saw five Blue Helmets wounded.
On Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said Israeli air strikes on two villages located near the capital Beirut killed nine people.
Israel had earlier told residents of south Lebanon not to return home, as its troops fought Hezbollah in a war that has killed more than 1,200 people since September 23, and forced more than a million others to flee their homes.
"For your own protection, do not return to your homes until further notice... Do not go south; anyone who goes south may put his life at risk," Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
Hezbollah said Saturday it launched missiles across the border into northern Israel, where air raid sirens sounded and the military said it had intercepted a projectile.
In an interview with AFP, UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP he feared an Israeli escalation against Hezbollah in south Lebanon could soon spiral out of control "into a regional conflict with catastrophic impact for everyone".
The UN force said five peacekeepers have been wounded by fighting in south Lebanon in just two days, and Tenenti said "a lot of damage" had been caused to its posts there.
Around Israel, markets were closed and public transport halted as observant Jews fasted and prayed on Yom Kippur.
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesperson Andrea Tenenti gives an interview at the UNIFIL House in Baabda east of Beirut on Saturday. AFP
A Lebanese army soldier stands guard at the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an apartment building in town of Bajra south of Beirut on Saturday. AFP
People inspect the damage at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an apartment building in town of Bajra south of Beirut on Saturday. AFP
