Israeli 'double-tap' strike kills three rescue workers in Lebanon, officials say

Two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in Israel, while 16 Israeli soldiers and one civilian have been killed in Lebanon, Israeli authorities say.The three rescue workers killed on Tuesday were Hussein Ghadbouni, Hussein Sati and Hadi Daher. Last month, the BBC spent several days with their team, which is based in Tyre, to report on the risks emergency teams in Lebanon face amid constant Israeli attacks.The strike happened amid a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has led to a reduction in the hostilities but failed to completely stop the war.Israel says its actions in Lebanon are in response to what it describes as violations of the deal by Hezbollah, which was not involved in the agreement but had indicated it would abide by its terms if the ceasefire was respected by Israel.The text of the deal gives the Israeli military the "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks" - phrasing that is broad enough to justify any action it takes.Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the "targeting" of the rescuers was a "war crime perpetrated by Israel", condemning Israel's "ongoing violations of the ceasefire".A 5 to 10km-deep strip along the border, amounting to about 5% of Lebanon's territory, remains under Israeli occupation, with Israeli officials saying they aim to create a security buffer zone to protect the country's northern communities.The Israeli military has also continued its air strikes and said it had hit Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing "three Hezbollah terrorists" who had attacked its soldiers. A day earlier, it also hit the eastern Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah has a strong presence and part of its arsenal is located.ReutersMore than one million people have been displaced by the war in LebanonHezbollah, meanwhile, says it is responding to what it describes as multiple Israeli violations of the deal, and has carried out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israel. An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Lebanon in a drone attack on Sunday, while another was severely wounded in a separate drone attack on Monday, the Israeli military said. An Israeli defence ministry civilian contractor was also killed by a drone while operating an excavator in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.Lebanon has frequently accused the Israeli military of deliberately targeting health workers while on deployment during the war. Last week, the country's authorities said an Israeli attack blocked rescuers from accessing the site where well-known journalist Amal Khalil had been trapped under rubble. When the teams reached it, they found her dead. Lebanese officials accused the Israeli military of targeting Khalil, a claim the military denied.Earlier this month, the Israeli military carried out three successive attacks on paramedics who had been responding to an earlier strike, killing four of them, according to Lebanese officials. One of the paramedics had featured in a BBC report.Kristine Beckerle, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at the human rights group Amnesty International, said in a report last month that "deliberately striking medics performing their humanitarian functions is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and could constitute a war crime".