Israel tells residents in north to shelter after 'hostile aircraft' enter from Lebanon

Hundreds of deaths have been reported since the outbreak of war (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

The Israeli military said Wednesday that hostile aircraft had entered the country from Lebanon, setting sirens blaring across northern Israel as it urged citizens there to shelter.

The military did not specify the kind of aircraft. But Lebanon’s Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Palestinian militants are known to have drones and gliders.

The news came after Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military position earlier Wednesday, claiming to have killed and wounded troops. The Israeli military confirmed the attack but did not comment on possible casualties. The Israeli army shelled the area in southern Lebanon where the attack was launched.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a leading opposition figure have agreed to created a wartime Cabinet to oversee the fight against Hamas militants.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. File Picture: AP Photo/Richard Drew

In the sealed-off Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas, Palestinians struggled to find safety as Israeli bombardment demolished entire neighbourhoods and the territory’s only power plant ran out of fuel.

The new wartime Cabinet will consist of Mr Netanyahu, Benny Gantz — a senior opposition figure and former defence minister — and current defence minister Yoav Gallant, a statement released by Mr Gantz said.

The Cabinet will focus only on issues of the war.

It appeared that the rest of Mr Netanyahu’s existing government partners, a collection of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties, would remain in place to handle other issues.

The unusual arrangement cobbles together a degree of unity after years of bitterly divisive politics, as the military appears increasingly likely to launch a ground offensive into Gaza.

The government is under intense public pressure to topple Hamas, after its militants stormed through the border fence on Saturday and gunned down hundreds of Israelis in their homes, on the streets and at a music festival.

Israel’s chief opposition leader, Yair Lapid, was invited to join to new Cabinet but did not immediately respond to the offer.

The war has already claimed at least 2,200 lives on both sides, and a ground offensive in Gaza is likely to dramatically hike casualties.