JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Israel said Tuesday its troops are "operating in southern Lebanon" as its strikes continued against Lebanon's Iran-aligned group Hezbollah, which earlier in the day launched a series of drone and rocket attacks on Israeli military sites.

The Israeli military ground advance across the border and operations in southern Lebanon, along with troop deployments at several points near the border, are part of an "enhanced forward defense posture" to beef up security for local residents in the border area, according to the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have authorized the military to "advance and secure additional strategic areas in Lebanon." Katz added that the move is intended to allow the military to take over new positions within Lebanese territory for what he described as defending border towns in Israel.

An Israeli force consisting of a tank and three military bulldozers crossed at around 8:00 a.m. local time the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, advancing approximately 1 kilometer into Lebanese territory, Lebanese security sources and eyewitnesses told Xinhua.

The sources added that "the force moved toward the town of Tal al-Nahas, located between the village of Adaisseh and the town of Burj al-Muluk in the eastern sector of the southern border region, before carrying out bulldozing operations in the area."

They noted that "the Lebanese army is monitoring the movement of the Israeli force."

Katz noted Tuesday that the Israeli military will continue to "operate forcefully" against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, and warned the group will pay "a heavy price" for firing at Israel on Monday.

Overnight between Sunday and Monday, the Iran-backed group fired missiles and drones toward Israel as the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran went on. Hezbollah stated its strikes were in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Late Monday and into early Tuesday, Israel responded with strikes including those targeting the headquarters of Al-Manar TV channel and Al-Nour Radio, both affiliated with Hezbollah, according to the group.

Hezbollah condemned the attacks on the media outlet buildings as a "criminal Israeli aggression," and called them part of a systematic Israeli campaign aimed at silencing the resistance's voice and affecting Lebanese morale in a psychological warfare.

The Lebanese Health Ministry has reported that at least 52 people were killed in the Israeli attacks against Hezbollah.

Earlier on Tuesday, starting from 5:00 a.m. local time, Hezbollah issued separate statements claiming new rounds of drone and rocket attacks targeting Israeli military sites.

It said the strikes were in retaliation for what it called ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, including airstrikes hitting dozens of Lebanese towns and villages and the capital Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiyeh, as well as against the group's affiliated media outlets.

The statements said the group launched swarms of attack drones targeting radar sites and control rooms at Ramat David Airbase and Meron monitoring base in northern Israel, as well as a large rocket barrage hitting Nafah army base in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

While stressing its attacks were directed at military targets, the group condemned Israeli strikes on civilians and civilian facilities that have caused casualties and damage.

In a separate statement released late Monday, the group noted that it had repeatedly warned that continued attacks would not go unanswered, and called for external efforts to stop the direct cause of the escalation - the continued Israeli attacks. ■