BEIRUT/JERUSALEM - The Israeli military said on Thursday it was expanding its ground offensive in Lebanon, deploying an additional division as it seeks to advance towards the Litani River.

The announcement came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was establishing an expanded buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

With the 162nd armored division deployed, Israel now has four divisions advancing through villages in the area and engaging Iran-aligned Hezbollah fighters.

"Prior to the troops' entrance, the military struck numerous targets in the area using artillery and Israeli Air Force aircraft," the military said, adding its aim is to "dismantle" Hezbollah military capabilities.

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According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the death toll from Israeli attacks has reached 1,116, including 121 children and 83 women, with more than 1 million people displaced. A further 3,229 people have been wounded.

At least 13 people were killed and 28 others injured in Israeli airstrikes targeting several towns and villages in southern Lebanon early on Thursday, according to Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center.

The center said an airstrike on the village of Harouf in the Nabatieh district killed two people and wounded eight others, while a strike on the municipality of Arabsalim wounded eight people. Two airstrikes on the village of Touline in the Marjayoun district wounded seven people.

A strike on the town of Kounine in the Bint Jbeil district killed three people and injured four others. Another airstrike on the town of Bissariyeh in the Sidon district killed three people and wounded one. An airstrike on a residential and commercial building in a neighborhood in the town of Kfar Remman killed two people, while rescue teams continued clearing rubble and searching for casualties. An airstrike on the Saf al-Hawa area in the city of Bint Jbeil killed three people.

Man killed in N. Israel 

A man was killed and another severely injured when a rocket from Lebanon hit the city of Nahariya in northern Israel on Thursday afternoon, according to Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service.

The country's Fire and Rescue Services reported three impacts across the city, one of which caused damage to local gas infrastructure.

Israel said the attack was the most recent of dozens of rockets and several drones fired by Hezbollah since the morning hours.