Four civilians, including an Egyptian worker, were killed and 12 others wounded in a series of Israeli air strikes across Lebanon on Saturday, security sources said.

According to the sources, three civilians were killed when Israeli jets fired missiles in Hermel in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

They added that an Egyptian worker was also killed and three others wounded after an explosion at a fuel station near the southern coastal city of Sidon close to the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Al-Helweh.

Early Saturday, Israeli warplanes targeted bridges, fuel storage tanks and gas stations in Lebanon's east, south and north, according to security sources.

They said that Israeli warplanes struck the suburbs of the northern Lebanese coastal city of Tripoli, the country's second largest city, and targeted the area of an abandoned Lebanese army shooting range. It is its first such strike on Lebanon's north so far.

Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have been drastically heightened since Wednesday when Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed eight in a border clash with Israeli troops.

In response, Israel waged air raids on Lebanese targets and blockaded Lebanese sea ports.

Source: Xinhua