Israeli 'double-tap' strike kills three rescue workers in Lebanon, officials say

Two successive Israeli air strikes on a building in southern Lebanon have killed five people, including three emergency workers, Lebanese officials say, in what the country's prime minister has described as a "war crime".

The Lebanese health ministry said the three rescuers from the Lebanese Civil Defense, a state-run emergency service, had been sent to rescue those wounded in the first strike in the town of Majdal Zoun on Tuesday. They were trapped under rubble caused by the second strike and later confirmed dead.

The ministry did not identify the two other fatalities. Two Lebanese army soldiers were also wounded in the attack.

The Israeli military has been approached for comment.

It has previously failed to explain attacks on health professionals while they were on rescue missions. The tactic, known as "double tap", sees an initial attack followed by a second or more - often hitting civilians and rescuers. It has been used by Israel in Lebanon and Gaza.

Human rights groups say deliberate attacks on health workers could constitute a war crime.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah - the Lebanese militia and political party that is funded and armed by Iran - started on 2 March after the group fired rockets into Israel, which responded with widespread air strikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

Since then, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 103 health professionals, according to the Lebanese health ministry. It does not distinguish between combatants and civilians but says the number includes at least 270 women and more than 170 children.

Two civilians have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in Israel, while 16 Israeli soldiers and one civilian have been killed in Lebanon, Israeli authorities say.

Last month, the BBC spent several days with the Tyre-based Lebanese Civil Defense team that was attacked on Tuesday to report on the risks emergency teams in Lebanon face amid constant Israeli attacks. The three rescue workers killed on Tuesday were Hussein Ghadbouni, Hussein Sati and Hadi Daher.

The strike happened amid a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that has led to a reduction in the hostilities but has failed to completely stop the war, particularly in southern Lebanon.

Israel says its actions in Lebanon are in response to what it describes as violations of the deal by Hezbollah, which was not involved in the agreement but had indicated it would abide by its terms if the ceasefire was respected by Israel.

The text of the deal gives the Israeli military the "right to take all necessary measures in self-defence, at any time, against planned, imminent, or ongoing attacks" - phrasing that is broad enough to justify any action it takes.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the "targeting" of the rescuers was a "war crime perpetrated by Israel", condemning Israel's "ongoing violations of the ceasefire".

A 5 to 10km-deep strip along the border, amounting to about 5% of Lebanon's territory, remains under Israeli occupation, with Israeli officials saying they aim to create a security buffer zone to protect the country's northern communities.

The Israeli military has also continued its air strikes and said it had hit Hezbollah infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing "three Hezbollah terrorists" who had attacked its soldiers. A day earlier, it also hit the eastern Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah has a strong presence and part of its arsenal is located.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, says it is responding to what it describes as multiple Israeli violations of the deal, and has carried out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and on northern Israel.

An Israeli soldier was killed in southern Lebanon in a drone attack on Sunday, while another was severely wounded in a separate drone attack on Monday, the Israeli military said. An Israeli defence ministry civilian contractor was also killed by a drone while operating an excavator in southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

Lebanon has frequently accused the Israeli military of deliberately targeting health workers while on deployment during the war.

Last week, the country's authorities said an Israeli attack blocked rescuers from accessing the site where well-known journalist Amal Khalil had been trapped under rubble. When the teams reached it, they found her dead. Lebanese officials accused the Israeli military of targeting Khalil, a claim the military denied.

Earlier this month, the Israeli military carried out three successive attacks on paramedics who had been responding to an earlier strike, killing four of them, according to Lebanese officials. One of the paramedics had featured in a BBC report.

Kristine Beckerle, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at the human rights group Amnesty International, said in a report last month that "deliberately striking medics performing their humanitarian functions is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and could constitute a war crime".