HEZBOLLAH MISSILE COMMANDER KILLED IN BEIRUT STRIKE

Death toll from Israeli bombardment climbed to 560 people; Iran prez says Lebanon should not become Gaza

ISRAEL said it killed a top commander with Hezbollah's missile and rocket unit on Tuesday as the Israeli military traded fire with Hezbollah again and the death toll from a massive Israeli bombardment climbed to nearly 560 people.

Military officials said Ibrahim Kobeisi, who they alleged was responsible for launches towards Israel, was killed in a strike on Beirut. The military said "other key commanders" were with Kobeisi at the time of the strike, but officials did not say whether any of the others were killed or wounded.

Meanwhile, thousands of people fled from southern Lebanon with the two sides on the brink of all-out war. The border crossing with Syria saw massive traffic jams as a result of people escaping from Lebanon to the neighboring country.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched missiles overnight and in the morning at eight sites in Israel, including an explosives factory in Zichron Yaakov, 60 kilometers from the border.