A 4-year-old, a professor and an aid worker are among those killed in separate airstrikes as Israel pummels towns and cities, saying it is targeting Hezbollah operatives.

Israel struck more targets in south Lebanon on Sunday, including a key bridge, triggering a warning from the Lebanese president that it could be preparing a full ground invasion.

Israel should extend its border with Lebanon up to the Litani River deep inside the country's south, Israel's finance minister said on Monday as Israeli troops bombed bridges and destroyed homes in the area in an escalating military assault.