Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill three including Hezbollah commander, sources say

Separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles near the southern town of Chehabiyeh killed at least two Hezbollah members, a security source and a civil defence official said. Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire in parallel to the Gaza war in the most serious hostilities since they fought a major war in 2006.

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed three people including a Hezbollah field commander, Lebanese security sources said, an uptick in violence after at least a week of relative calm in more than half a year of hostilities. The Israeli military said Ismail Baz, killed in a strike on a car near the southern town of Ain Ebel, was the commander of Hezbollah's coastal sector and was involved in planning rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on Israel.

Hezbollah issued a statement mourning Baz's death but did not elaborate on his role in the organisation. Separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles near the southern town of Chehabiyeh killed at least two Hezbollah members, a security source and a civil defence official said.

Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire in parallel to the Gaza war in the most serious hostilities since they fought a major war in 2006. The fighting has claimed the lives of at least 370 Lebanese, including more than 240 Hezbollah fighters and 68 civilians, according to a Reuters toll and has fuelled concern about the potential for further escalation between regional enemies.

Eighteen Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed. Those concerns have mounted following Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel with hundreds of explosive drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles launched on Saturday night to which Israeli officials have vowed to respond.

Iran called the barrage retaliation for an Israeli strike that flattened a building in its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 and killed two of its generals and several other officers.

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