Israeli strike in Lebanon kills 10, health ministry says

Lebanon said the building was housing Syrian refugees, while Israel said it targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot

An Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon has killed 10 people, Lebanese officials say, in one of the deadliest attacks in the current violence along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The building hit, in the city of Nabatieh, was housing Syrian refugees, the Lebanese Health Minister, Firass Abiad, told the BBC. Israel said it had targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot, which was denied by the owner of the facility.

In response Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political Lebanese group, fired a barrage of rockets, targeting a kibbutz in northern Israel and another on an Israeli military post.

There were no casualties as a result of the first attack, while two Israeli soldiers were injured in the second, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded near daily fire across the border since the 7 October attack on Israel by Palestinian militants prompted an Israeli invasion of Gaza with the aim of eliminating Hamas.

Tensions have escalated further in recent weeks after Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, in Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Beirut. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has vowed to respond to the assassination.

It comes as international mediators have urged Israel and Hamas to agree a ceasefire deal in upcoming talks, amid fears the war in Gaza could spiral into a regional conflict.

Iran has dismissed calls from Western leaders to refrain from retaliating against Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in its capital, Tehran, last month.

But there are indications that Iran may have decided to delay its response amid the efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Mr Abiad, however, said Israel's actions suggested it had no interest in a deal.

He also said that a woman and her two children were among the dead in Nabatieh, and that a further five people were in a critical condition.

Hossain Tohmaz, the owner of one of the buildings hit, said it was a “100% civilian facility”, where people worked and lived.

"This is a hangar used for manufacturing iron, and that is a warehouse where we park trucks for loading goods like solar panels. The workers live and sleep on the top floor," he said.

A few hours later, Hezbollah said it had fired Katyusha rockets at Ayelet HaShahar, a kibbutz north of the Sea of Galilee.

The IDF said it had it had detected 55 launches from Lebanon, some of which had fallen in "open areas".

"Multiple fires were ignited in the area and Israel Fire and Rescue Services are currently operating at the scene to extinguish them," it wrote in an update on Telegram.

A short while later, Hezbollah said it had attacked an Israeli military position in Marj.

The IDF said one soldier had been severely injured and another lightly injured as a result of a projectile launched from Lebanon that had fallen on Misgav Am, which sits next to the Israel-Lebanon border.

"The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment and their families have been notified," it added.

The IDF said firefighters were extinguishing blazes caused by Hezbollah rockets which fell on Ayelet HaShahar

The strike is among the deadliest attacks in Lebanon in the current hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

A few hours later, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing Katyusha rockets Ayelet HaShahar, a kibbutz north of the Sea of Galilee.

The IDF said it had it had detected 55 launches from Lebanon, some of which had fallen in "open areas".

"Multiple fires were ignited in the area and Israel Fire and Rescue Services are currently operating at the scene to extinguish them," it wrote in an update on Telegram.

A short while later, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for attacking an Israeli military position in Marj with "two suicide bombers".

The IDF said one soldier had been severely injured and another lightly injured as a result of a projectile launched from Lebanon that had fallen on Misgav Am, which sits next to the Israel-Lebanon border.

"The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment and their families have been notified," it added.