Israeli strike in Lebanon kills journalist's four relatives, including three children

Four relatives of a journalist were killed on Sunday in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the official Lebanese news agency said, adding that the journalist was also wounded.

The border area between the two countries has seen multiple exchanges of fire, in particular between Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and Israel, since the start of the Gaza war.

The National News Agency (NNA) said the four victims are the sister of radio correspondent Samir Ayoub and her three grandchildren, aged 10, 12, and 14.

They were following the journalist's car in another vehicle when they were killed.

Earlier on Sunday, four rescue workers were injured in an Israeli bombing in southern Lebanon that hit two ambulances, according to the association that owned the vehicles and state media.

NNA said an Israeli strike targeted two ambulances belonging to the Risala Scout association, which operates rescue teams and is affiliated with the Shia Muslim Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally.

The association said "a drone from the Israeli occupation forces deliberately targeted… the two vehicles, causing moderate injuries to four paramedics".

It said the attack took place at dawn when the two ambulances were called to evacuate wounded in the village of Tayr Harfa, some three kilometres (two miles) from the border with Israel.

The Israeli army said it had used a drone to target a "terrorist cell that attempted to fire from Lebanon toward the area of Rosh Hanikra in northern Israel".

It said troops had observed "two suspicious vehicles" in the area, but said "the strike was directed at the terrorist cell and not at the vehicles".

Lebanon's health ministry condemned "a cowardly and barbaric attack".

Since 7 October, the date the Gaza war began, at least 81 people have been killed on the Lebanese side in cross-border skirmishes, according to an AFP tally, including 59 Hezbollah fighters.

Six soldiers and one civilian have been killed on the Israeli side.

On 13 October, Israeli shelling killed Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and wounded six other journalists, including two from AFP, while they were covering the cross-border fighting in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah said two more of its fighters were killed on Sunday morning.

Rising tensions on the border have raised concerns that the Israel's war in Gaza could lead to a wider escalation in the Middle East.

In his first speech since the war erupted, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday accused the United States of being "entirely responsible" for the war.

He also warned Israel against the "folly" of an attack on Lebanon, adding that halting its "aggression against Gaza" would prevent a regional conflict.