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War on Gaza: Israeli strike kills seven paramedics in south Lebanon

Hezbollah retaliated against attack on emergency and relief centre with dozens of rockets hitting northern Israel, killing a factory worker
People inspect the site of an overnight Israeli air strike in the Lebanese town of Hebbariyeh, near the Israeli border, on 27 March 2024 (AFP)

Seven volunteer paramedics were killed in an overnight Israeli air strike that targeted an emergency and relief centre in south Lebanon.

The fatal attack comes amid an increase in cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the past week.

The strike on the Islamic Emergency and Relief Corps, linked to Lebanese Sunni group Al-Jama'a al-Islamiya, in the border town of Hebbariyeh wounded four other people and damaged surrounding buildings. 

The Israeli military said it had struck a military building in Hebbariyeh and killed a member of Al-Jama'a al-Islamiya.

Hours after the attack, Hezbollah retaliated with dozens of rockets aimed at Kiryat Shmona, an Israeli town located over the border, and its military base. A factory worker was killed and two others lightly wounded, according to Israeli rescue services.

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The Lebanese health ministry condemned the Israeli strike, saying Israel's attacks on health centres "violate international laws and the Geneva Convention".

Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since the war erupted in Gaza, with international mediators scrambling to prevent an all-out war between the two.

At least 338 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon, most of them Hezbollah fighters but also dozens of civilians, according to an AFP count.

At least 10 Israeli soldiers and seven civilians have been killed in northern Israel, according to the Israeli military.

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