Beirut/Gaza, Oct 11 : Israel continued to pursue offensives in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, pressing forward with its military objectives on the two fronts.

On Thursday evening, Israel launched heavy airstrikes on central Beirut, targeting Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah's Liaison and Coordination Unit. The strike has resulted in at least 22 deaths and 117 injuries, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Lebanese Health Ministry.

A huge fire erupted, and heavy smoke billowed from a building in al-Noueiri, a densely populated area of central Beirut, following the airstrike. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene, and crowds gathered near the targeted site, TV footage of Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed showed.

In addition, Lebanese sources reported that during the afternoon and evening hours, Israeli warplanes launched 16 raids in southern Lebanon and nine more in eastern Lebanon, leaving 21 dead and 41 injured.

Among the attacked individuals were six Lebanese soldiers who were wounded in an Israeli drone attack on a military checkpoint at the Hosh al-Sayyed Ali crossing in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria.

Also on Thursday, Hezbollah members hit an Israeli tank with guided missiles in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese armed group said, adding that the attack occurred as an Israeli infantry force backed by five tanks was advancing toward the Ras al-Naqoura axis.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement that two UN peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli tank fired on a watchtower in UNIFIL's headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said at a news conference that the tank fire "was not a mistake and not an accident," adding that the attack "could constitute a war crime and represented a very serious violation of international military law."

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces accused Hezbollah of operating "from within and near civilian areas in southern Lebanon, including areas near UNIFIL posts."

On their southern front, Israeli forces launched Thursday a deadly airstrike on Rafida School near the headquarters of the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza, killing at least 28 Palestinians and injuring more than 54 others.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it carried out a "precise strike" targeting militants inside "a command and control centre" within the school compound.

The strike took place as fighting between Hamas and Israeli soldiers continued in Gaza. The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, claimed Thursday that its fighters ambushed an Israeli army mechanized infantry company east of the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, inflicting casualties among Israeli soldiers.

According to the brigades, the company comprised 12 vehicles and trucks loaded with soldiers. "We detonated explosive devices in the Israeli vehicles before our fighters finished off the soldiers from zero distance," it said.

In a statement, Israel's military confirmed three Israeli reserve troops were killed when an explosive device detonated, saying they "fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip."

/IANS