Israeli strike kills 10 firefighters in south Lebanon: official

Lebanon's health ministry said on Monday an Israeli strike in south Lebanon overnight killed 10 firefighters.

"An Israeli strike overnight targeted a local firefighting centre in Baraasheet where 10 civil defence members were present," municipal official Reda Ashour said.

The health ministry reported the "killing of 10 firefighters" who were "in the building ready to go out on rescue missions", adding efforts to remove the rubble were ongoing.

The latest report brings to 115 the number of rescuers killed in a year since the start of cross-border fire between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, according to official figures.

Israel's attack follows the one-year anniversary of the Hamas October 7 attack on Israel in 2023 by firing a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv.

Lebanon's Hezbollah, which began firing rockets at Israel on October 8 in support if its ally Hamas, vowed to keep up the barrages despite its recent losses.

The surprise cross-border attack one year ago — which caught Israelis unprepared on a major Jewish holiday — shook their faith in their leaders and their military, and its aftershocks are still rippling across the region.

Around 100 hostages captured that day have not been returned, a third of whom are believed to be dead, and cease-fire efforts have ground to a halt.

The war in Gaza rages on and Israel is fighting a new war against Hezbollah.

There is also an escalating conflict with Iran — which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah — that threatens to drag the region into an even more dangerous conflagration.

No formal commemorative event is planned in Gaza, where fighting is still underway, huge areas have been completely destroyed and most of the population have been driven from their homes.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the territory's 2.3 million population and sparked a humanitarian crisis that has led to widespread hunger.

At least 2,083 Lebanese , including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million driven from their homes. 

Israel has also vowed to respond to a ballistic missile attack last week that Iran said was in response to the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, top Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and one of its own Revolutionary Guard generals.

In a statement on Monday, Hezbollah vowed to continue its attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, saying Israel "was and will remain a deadly, aggressive, cancerous gland that must be eliminated, no matter how long it takes."