Hezbollah and Israel exchanged heavy fire into Sunday, as the Lebanese militant group sent rockets deep into northern Israeli territory after facing some of the most intense bombardment in almost a year of conflict.

Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem told mourners at the funeral of one of the group's commanders killed last week in Beirut: "We have entered a new phase, the title of which is the open-ended battle of reckoning."

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said operations would continue until it was safe for evacuated people on his side of the border to return — also setting the stage for a long conflict as Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to fight on until a cease-fire in the parallel Gaza war.