At least 10 firefighters were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a border region in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
The ministry’s statement noted that the firefighters were preparing for rescue operations from a municipal building in Baraachit when the strike occurred overnight.
While the Israeli military has yet to release an official comment on this specific incident, it confirmed that fighter jets had conducted overnight strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
On Monday afternoon, the Israeli military reported conducting airstrikes on 120 targets in southern Lebanon within an hour, following widespread reports from Lebanese media of intensified bombardment across the region.
The state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli aircraft have struck over 30 towns and villages surrounding the southern coastal city of Tyre.
BBC correspondent Orla Guerin, reporting from Tyre, said several locations hit were in the hills near the Israeli border, while at least one strike impacted a densely populated area of the city.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the strikes targeted units belonging to Hezbollah’s Southern Front, including the elite Radwan Force, the Missiles and Rockets Force, and the Intelligence Directorate.
Additionally, the IDF confirmed a “targeted” airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where a large plume of smoke was seen.
The Israeli ground invasion in southern Lebanon also appears to be expanding, with the IDF announcing that a third division has joined the operation, now in its sixth day, aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure near the border.
The IDF has also ordered the evacuation of 20 more communities in southern Lebanon, including Naqoura, where the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon has its headquarters.
