Iran has long accused Israel of targeting its nuclear program through covert operations. Israeli officials, in turn, have hinted at potential strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. This exchange of threats that has intensified amid ongoing hostilities between the two nations since Israel's attacks on Hezbollah, a long-standing ally.

U.N. atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi arrived in Iran for talks on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported, a day after he appealed to Iran's leadership to take steps to resolve longstanding issues with his agency over its nuclear programme.

U.N. atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi appealed to Iran's leadership on Tuesday to take steps to resolve longstanding issues with his agency a day before he arrives in the Iranian capital for crunch talks over its nuclear programme.

The deaths on Wednesday made it one of the most lethal days for the Israeli military since it invaded Lebanon last month to battle Hezbollah fighters.

A senior Lebanese official has signalled that Hezbollah is ready to pull its forces away from the Lebanese-Israeli border in any ceasefire, whilst rejecting Israel's demand for freedom to act against the Iran-backed group in the future.