Israel says wants to end hostilities with Hezbollah without 'wider war' but ready 'for any scenario'

The Israeli military said late Tuesday that it wanted to avoid any wider war with Hezbollah but that its forces were ready for "any scenario."

"Hezbollah's ongoing aggression and brutal attacks are dragging the people of Lebanon and the entire Middle East into a wider escalation," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement.

"While we prefer to resolve hostilities without a wider war, the IDF (Israeli army) is fully prepared for any scenario," he said.

The Israeli military meanwhile said its fighter jets "eliminated" Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday, accusing him of being responsible for a rocket strike on the annexed Golan Heights.

"Israeli air force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organization’s most senior military commander and the head of its strategic unit, Fouad Shukur, in the area of Beirut," the military said in a statement.

The attack killed two children and a woman and wounded 74 other people according to Lebanon's health ministry.