Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an attack in Beirut, according to the Israeli military

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel said Saturday that it had killed the leader of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallahwhich dealt the Lebanese militant group its worst blow after months of fighting. There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah.

If the claim is true, Nasrallah is by far the most powerful target Israel has killed in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah. Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah's southern front, and other Hezbollah commanders were also killed in the attack, the Israeli military said. The military said it had been carried out a precise airstrike on Friday while Hezbollah's leadership met at its headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut.

Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, said Saturday that eliminating Nasrallah was “not the end of our toolbox” and suggested more attacks were planned. He said the attack on Hezbollah's leadership was the result of a long period of preparation.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said six people were killed and 91 injured in Friday's strikes, which leveled six homes.

The Israeli military said it was mobilizing additional reserve soldiers Tensions with Lebanon are escalatingthereby activating three battalions of reserve soldiers for deployment across the country. The call came after two brigades were sent to northern Israel earlier this week to train for a possible ground invasion.

On Saturday morning, the Israeli military carried out several attacks in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah fired dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Smoke rose and streets were empty in Beirut's southern suburbs after the area was hit by heavy Israeli airstrikes overnight. The shelters for displaced people set up in the city center were overcrowded. Many families slept in public places and beaches or in their cars. On the roads leading into the mountains above the capital, hundreds of people could be seen emigrating on foot, carrying small children and whatever belongings they could carry with them.

At least 720 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon last week, according to the Health Ministry.

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Mroue reported from Beirut.