Lebanon鈥檚 health ministry said two people were killed on Monday in an Israeli strike on the country鈥檚 south, with Hezbollah announcing one of its fighters died and local rescuers mourning a paramedic.
Since last week, tensions have soared as Iran and Tehran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, vowed revenge for the killing of Hamas鈥檚 political leader in Tehran and Israel鈥檚 killing of Hezbollah鈥檚 military chief in Beirut.
Hezbollah has traded near-daily fire with Israel in support of ally Hamas since the Palestinian militant group鈥檚 October 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
鈥楾he enemy raid that took place near the (Mais al-Jabal) town鈥檚 cemetery killed two people,鈥� Lebanon鈥檚 health ministry said in a statement following Monday鈥檚 strike.
The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said that one of the two people killed was a paramedic with the Risala Scouts, which is affiliated with Hezbollah ally the Amal movement.
Ali Abbas, a rescue worker with the Risala Scouts, told AFP that the paramedic had travelled by motorcycle with another person to inspect the site of an earlier raid.
He went 鈥榯o see if there were civilians or people (in the area)... and the second strike happened immediately,鈥� Abbas said.
Hezbollah later announced that a fighter from the same village had been killed by Israeli fire.
Amid rising tensions, Israeli jets broke the sound barrier twice over Beirut around noon, according to the NNA, sparking worry in the Lebanese capital.
Mais al-Jabal, a frontline village less than two kilometres (1.2 miles) from the border with Israel, has experienced heavy bombardment since the cross-border clashes began, forcing most residents to leave.
Early on Monday, Hezbollah said it had targeted military sites in northern Israel with 鈥榚xplosive-laden drones鈥� in response to Israeli 鈥榓ttacks and assassinations鈥� in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said 鈥榥umerous suspicious aerial targets were identified crossing from Lebanon鈥� into northern Israel, starting a fire and leaving an officer and a soldier 鈥榤oderately injured鈥�.
The cross-border violence since October has killed at least 549 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters but also including at least 116 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, including the annexed Golan Heights, 22 soldiers and 25 civilians have been killed, according to army figures.
