The Israeli army killed a senior regional commander of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah in south Lebanon on Tuesday, local newspaper The Jerusalem Post reported on its website.

Citing Israeli army sources, the report said that a high-ranking Hezbollah regional commander, only identified as al-Jafar, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on south Lebanon.

The Israeli army did not reveal the man's exact position in Hezbollah, but said that he was high up in the organization's hierarchy, according to the report.

It is the first time that a senior Hezbollah member was killed since Israel started a massive onslaught in Lebanon on July 12 in response to the capture of its two soldiers by Hezbollah guerillas in cross-border raids.

Israeli warplanes continued bombing targets across Lebanon on Tuesday and small units of Israeli forces entered south Lebanon to carry out "pinpoint" attacks against Hezbollah strongholds.

Israel has vowed to create and keep a "security strip" in south Lebanon until an international force arrives.