Israel's fresh strikes on Lebanon kill 5 siblings, 2 others

Lebanon: Israel's fresh strike on Lebanon's port city of Tyre left at least seven dead on Saturday. The dead included five siblings, three of whom were deaf and mute, the Associated Press reported, citing officials.

The Israeli military claimed that it attacked the Tyre offices of Hezbollah's intelligence department as well as a command and control centre for the group in the city.

The death toll is on the rise following Israel's continuous strikes on various parts of southern and eastern Lebanon on the day. This was after the bombing of Beirut's southern suburbs, destroying many buildings, using jets.

To this, the militant group in Lebanon, Hezbollah, fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel and shot down a drone over south Lebanon, the group said.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, Iran warned that the war in Gaza and Lebanon, between Israel and an alliance of Arab forces, might spill beyond the Middle East.

In another news, reports surfaced that Qatar has asked Hamas to shut its office there and leave the country. Qatar supposedly made the request after the US demanded it. The US sees Qatar as a major non-Nato ally.

More than 3,000 people were killed in Lebanon during the 13 months of the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran.

For nearly a year, the conflict was mostly contained in the areas along the border between Israel and Lebanon. The conflict dramatically escalated on September 23 with intense Israeli airstrikes on south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut's southern suburbs, leaving hundreds dead and leading to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people.