Israeli strike kills three Lebanese rescue workers from force affiliated with Hezbollah

An Israeli strike on Monday on a civil defence centre in southern Lebanon killed three emergency workers from a force affiliated with Hezbollah, the government said.

The three rescue workers were killed in a "direct Israeli strike on the civil defence centre in Adeisseh," the Al-Hayaa rescue force said.

Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed the three were killed, saying it brought to seven the number of emergency staff and paramedics killed in Israeli strikes in nearly five months of hostilities.

The rescue force said it was the third attack on such centres since October.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

A strike on another civil defence centre in the south in January killed two emergency staff.

Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire at each other for four months in parallel to the Gaza war. It has marked the worst conflict across Lebanon's southern border since the 2006 war, fuelling fears of a bigger confrontation.

Around 200 Hezbollah fighters and more than 50 civilians have been killed in Israeli shelling on Lebanon in that time.

Reuters