Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom issued a joint plea to the Israeli government on Monday evening, urging it to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon after the military made incursions into the south of the country.

Israel's actions are in response to missiles being fired by the Hezbollah militia from what the Israeli military calls "key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon".

The joint statement said "a significant Israeli ground offensive would have devastating humanitarian consequences and could lead to a protracted conflict".

"It must be averted … the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, including ongoing mass displacement, is already deeply alarming," the statement said.

It also condemned the attacks by Hezbollah, which has already rejected calls for disarmament from the Lebanese government, saying the signatory countries "stand in solidarity with the Lebanese government and people, who have been unwillingly drawn into conflict".

Israeli media reported that three divisions, comprising thousands of troops, had been deployed in southern Lebanon, with two more divisions set to follow.

A military statement called the action "part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture, which includes the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the elimination of terrorists operating in the area".

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned residents displaced from an area of about 30 kilometers between the border and the Litani River that they would not be able to return home "until the safety of residents in the north (of Israel) is guaranteed".

The Times of Israel quoted Lebanese state media as saying that airstrikes had been carried out on the capital Beirut, further north, targeting three areas in a Hezbollah stronghold known as the Dahiyeh.

"Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes targeting the Kafaat and Haret Hreik areas," it said.

"In another raid, the aircraft struck a residential apartment on the upper floors of a building located at the end of Venice Street in the Doha Aramoun area."

Official figures estimate that more than 1 million people have already been registered as displaced by the fighting.

A representative of humanitarian relief organization Doctors Without Borders said this had been caused by "relentless Israeli bombings and blanket evacuation orders that are not sparing anyone".

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