Ten firefighters killed in Israeli strike on south Lebanon after Hezbollah attack on Haifa

Eight people were wounded by the Hezbollah missiles fired at the Israeli city

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At least 10 firefighters have been killed in an Israeli raid on a base in southern Lebanon, while two Israeli soldiers were killed by Hezbollah mortar shelling on the border between the two countries, the Israeli army said on Monday, with another seriously wounded.

The Israeli military also issued an urgent warning for people in Lebanon to avoid the coastline south of the Awali River near the city of Sidon, effectively severing the southern third of the country from the rest of Lebanon.

“The [Israeli army] will soon operate in the maritime area," military spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X, formerly Twitter. “For your safety, refrain from being in the sea or on the beach from now until further notice.”

The warning followed another announcement by the Israeli army that it was expanding its ground invasion of southern Lebanon by deploying a third army division to the border.

The deaths of the two Israeli soldiers were announced after an intense night of bombardment in Lebanon, particularly in Beirut's southern suburbs. Hezbollah has continued to fire rockets into Israel and fight Israeli troops on the ground despite the intensity of Israel's daily aerial assault.

The Lebanese group fired dozens of rockets on Monday, a day after it successfully struck the city of Haifa in northern Israel for the first time. Israeli air defences failed to intercept the attack, which injured eight people. The Israeli military then raided a municipal firefighting centre in Bint Jbeil district, Lebanon Health Ministry's said. The death toll of 10 was preliminary as search and rescue operations were continuing.

Hezbollah dedicated its Haifa attack, which targeted a military base, to the group's late leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs last month. At least one other person was also injured in a separate missile barrage launched into the northern Israeli area of Tiberias shortly after the Haifa assault.

Israel's army meanwhile struck new targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, causing massive explosions in the mostly deserted outskirts that were heard throughout the capital.

Flames and smoke rise from the site of an Israeli air strike in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut. AP

The latest attacks came as the war in Gaza entered its second year on Monday. About 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel last year that triggered the war – a conflict that has since killed almost 42,000 people and wounded more than 97,000 others.

In Lebanon, where since October 8 Hezbollah has waged a secondary front against Israel in support of its ally Hamas, more than 2,000 people have been killed and 1.2 million displaced by Israeli air strikes across the country. The conflict escalated last month after Israel shifted its priority from Gaza to Lebanon, killed Hezbollah's leader, and invaded Lebanon.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the country's army would be ready to strengthen its positions in the south "in terms of numbers immediately, but in terms of equipment, everyone knows that it does not have the equipment that should be available".

"One of the tasks of the Lebanese army is to ensure there are no weapons in the region," Mr Mikati said in an interview aired on Sky News Arabia.

The caretaker leader reiterated Lebanon's commitment to a ceasefire should one be reached, saying "Lebanon will not pay the price alone if things remain as they are".

Israel's army continued striking the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah-controlled area. The areas of Hadath, Saint Therese, Ruwais, Burj Al Barajneh were all hit, Lebanese state media said, shaking windows and sending thick black smoke into the sky. There was no immediate report of casualties. Israel acknowledged the attacks, claiming to have fired at a Hezbollah weapons cache.

The strikes came hours after six people were killed when Israel attacked the town of Qamatiyeh in Mount Lebanon. They also followed the heaviest bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs since Israel escalated attacks in late September. At least 30 strikes hit the Dahieh area from Saturday night to Sunday morning, according to state media.

On the Israeli side, at least 10 soldiers have been killed in direct combat and shelling since the army started invading Lebanese territory last week, according to the army. Hezbollah says the real number of Israeli deaths is higher.

An additional Israeli army division has joined the ground invasion of Lebanon, the army confirmed. The 91st division, which operates in northern Israel, began "localised" operations. It joins three other divisions operating on the ground.

Displaced people sleeping in the open air on Ain Al Mreisseh promenade in Beirut on Monday morning. AFP