The Lebanon Civil Defense said in a statement that one of its rescuers was killed after an Israeli strike targeted him on a road connecting two towns in southern Lebanon.The organization said the attack occurred despite a truce that remains formally in effect between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

The incident came one day after another strike killed a rescuer affiliated with the Islamic Health Committee, according to Lebanese authorities.Israel has continued carrying out strikes across parts of Lebanon following weeks of conflict that began on March 2, saying its operations target Hezbollah fighters and military infrastructure.

On May 6, Israeli forces struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in nearly a month, killing what Israel described as a senior Hezbollah commander from the group’s elite Radwan force.The continuing attacks have intensified concerns among humanitarian agencies over the safety of medical and rescue personnel operating in conflict zones.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said earlier this week that the World Health Organization had verified 152 attacks on healthcare facilities and personnel in Lebanon since the conflict began.According to Tedros, those attacks resulted in 103 deaths and 241 injuries.International humanitarian law provides special protections for medical workers, emergency responders and healthcare infrastructure during armed conflicts.

Rights organizations have repeatedly called for investigations into attacks involving rescue and medical personnel in Lebanon and Gaza.

In a video statement released by his office, Netanyahu said Israeli forces had “eliminated” the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force in the Lebanese capital the previous night, referring to the armed group’s elite military unit.“Anyone who threatens the State of Israel will die because of his actions,” Netanyahu said, reiterating Israel’s position that it would continue targeting militant leaders it considers security threats.

The strike in central Beirut marked another escalation despite an existing ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Lebanon, and came ahead of a new round of U.S.-mediated talks scheduled in Washington next week.Hezbollah has not immediately issued detailed public comment on Netanyahu’s statement.

Israel has continued airstrikes in Lebanon in recent weeks, saying it is targeting Hezbollah infrastructure and commanders linked to attacks against Israeli territory.The Radwan force is regarded as one of Hezbollah’s most prominent combat units and has been central to the group’s operations along the Israel-Lebanon frontier.

The Israeli military said the Wednesday strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs killed the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force unit, escalating tensions despite a truce that began on April 17 and was intended to halt weeks of cross-border fighting.

Lebanese state media reported renewed Israeli strikes on several towns and villages in southern Lebanon on Thursday, while the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for residents in three villages north of the Litani River, beyond areas occupied by Israeli ground forces.

In the southern city of Nabatieh, strikes hit a shopping center and nearby residential buildings, according to Lebanese state media and an AFP correspondent at the scene.Airstrikes also targeted the nearby village of Toul, where two emergency responders affiliated with Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee were wounded while responding to an earlier strike, spokesperson Mahmoud Karaki said.

Karaki said the team’s ambulance sustained heavy damage in the attack.Photographs from Beirut’s southern suburbs showed upper floors of a residential building destroyed, with rescue teams continuing search operations through the debris on Thursday morning.

Despite the strike on its stronghold near the Lebanese capital, Hezbollah has not announced retaliatory action.The Israeli military separately said four Israeli soldiers were wounded on Wednesday, one seriously, after what it described as an “explosive drone impact” in southern Lebanon.

Although the ceasefire formally halted major hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, exchanges of fire and Israeli airstrikes have continued in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah has periodically claimed attacks against Israeli forces stationed in border areas.

The conflict intensified after fighting erupted on March 2, drawing Lebanon deeper into regional tensions linked to the broader confrontation involving Iran and its allied groups.According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,700 people have been killed in Lebanon since the conflict began.

Israel’s military says 17 soldiers and one civilian contractor have died during operations in southern Lebanon.