The death toll from the first Israeli strike on northern Lebanon in a year has risen to 21, the Lebanese Red Cross reports.

Earlier, it was known about 18 victims and four injured in the village of Aitou in the north of the country, where the majority of Christians live, Euronews reports.

So far, the main focus of IDF operations in Lebanon has been on the south of the country, the Bekaa Valley in the east and the southern suburbs of Beirut, where the radical Shiite group Hezbollah is based.

The strike on the village, nearly 100 kilometers north of Beirut - far from Hezbollah's main areas of influence - hit an apartment building that was rented to displaced families, Mayor Joseph Reid told Reuters. The building was reportedly destroyed.