An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut killed seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian first responders.

Israel has been pounding areas of the country where the militant group has a strong presence since late September, but has rarely struck in the heart of the capital.

There was no warning before the strike late on Wednesday, which hit an apartment in central Beirut not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament.

Hezbollah’s civil defence unit said seven of its members were killed.

The strike came after at least eight Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where Israel announced the start of what it says is a limited ground incursion earlier this week.

The region was meanwhile bracing for Israeli retaliation following an Iranian ballistic missile attack.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency accused Israel of using phosphorous bombs, without providing evidence.

Human rights groups have in the past accused Israel of using white phosphorus incendiary shells on towns and villages in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has an armed wing with tens of thousands of fighters but it also has a political movement and a network of charities staffed by civilians.

In a separate development, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they had launched two drones at Tel Aviv overnight.

The military said it identified two drones off the coast of the bustling metropolitan area, shooting one of them down while the other fell in the Mediterranean Sea. (AP)