Israel vows to continue Hezbollah offensive

Israel will not stop fighting a now weakened Hezbollah before it can safely return its citizens to their homes near the Lebanese border and any ceasefire negotiations will be held "under fire," Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said.

"Hezbollah is in great distress," Gallant told brigade commanders at the border in a video released by Israel's defense ministry. "We will hold negotiations only under fire, I said this on day one, I said it in Gaza and I am saying it here."

Israel in recent weeks has assassinated Hezbollah's senior leadership and pushed into southern border towns, saying it wants to dismantle Hezbollah's infrastructure to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return home to Israel's north.

Meanwhile Rubble and remains of the destroyed municipal headquarters in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon, filled the streets after Israel launched an airstrike on the building, killing the mayor and at least five others, and the whole building of the municipal headquarters collapsed.

The attack raised fears that Israel's expanding air campaign, designed to crush Hezbollah, could increasingly include public officials and buildings, which so far have been spared.

Lebanon's Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the attack on the provincial capital, saying it "intentionally targeted a meeting of the municipal council to discuss the city's service and relief situation."

It was the most significant Israeli hit yet on a Lebanese state building since it launched its offensive two weeks ago and came despite U.S. concerns about rising death tolls and fears of all-out war in the region.

The health ministry said six people had been killed, with the interior minister confirming the death of the mayor.

Israel's military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the Nabatieh area and dismantled underground infrastructure, while its navy also hit dozens of targets in southern Lebanon, in cooperation with troops on the ground.