Lebanon says Israeli attack kills 3 emergency workers

On Saturday, an Israeli attack on a civil defense team that was putting out flames in south Lebanon resulted in the deaths of three emergency personnel and the injury of two others, according to the health ministry of Lebanon.

“Israeli enemy targeting of a Lebanese civil defence team that was putting out fires sparked by the recent Israeli strikes in the village of Froun led to the martyrdom of three emergency responders,” according to a statement issued by the health ministry.

The statement stated that two additional individuals were injured, with one of them being critically injured. However, it also noted that the number of casualties was provisional.

The health ministry “condemns this blatant Israeli attack that targeted a team from an official body of the Lebanese state,” according to the statement.

Since the Palestinian group’s October 7 attack on Israel, which initiated the war in the Gaza Strip, the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon has engaged in nearly daily cross-border combat with Israeli forces in support of its ally Hamas.

According to an AFP tally, the cross-border violence has resulted in the deaths of at least 614 individuals in Lebanon, primarily combatants, but also including at least 138 civilians.

Authorities have reported the fatalities of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians on the Israeli side, which includes the annexed Golan Heights.

Hezbollah declared a series of attacks on Israeli troops and positions near the border on Saturday, including the use of Katyusha rockets. Some of the attacks were purportedly in response to “Israeli enemy attacks” on south Lebanon.

According to the National News Agency of Lebanon, Israel conducted air strikes and artillery in numerous regions of the southern region of the country.

The Israeli military reported that it had intercepted a number of “projectiles” that were crossing from Lebanon.

It claimed to have struck “Hezbollah military infrastructure and a launcher” in the Qabrikha region of southern Lebanon, as well as the Aita al-Shaab and Kfarshuba regions.