A top Hezbollah military commander was killed in an Israeli air strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday, in a major escalation that has added to fears of an all-out war.

Hezbollah confirmed Ibrahim Aqil's death after Israel said he was one of several senior Hezbollah figures killed in the strike.

Earlier, Lebanese officials said at least 14 people were killed and dozens injured in the strike that hit the densely populated Dahieh area, a stronghold of the Iran-backed group in the city’s southern suburbs.

A senior UN official has warned that the Middle East is at risk of a conflict that could "dwarf" the devastation witnessed in the region so far.

Political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo was speaking at a session of the Security Council following this week's attacks which saw Hezbollah's pagers and walkie-talkies explode, killing at least 37 people.