UN peacekeepers hurt in Israeli strike amid further deaths in Gaza

An Israeli attack in southern Lebanon left three people killed and several UN peacekeepers injured on Thursday, the Lebanese Army said, as further Israeli operations left dozens killed in Gaza.

The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike targeted a checkpoint in the southern city of Sidon, killing three Lebanese people who were inside.

Three Lebanese soldiers were injured in the incident, the army said, along with several Malaysian members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

UNIFIL said in a post on X that "five peacekeepers were lightly injured" in the incident.

"We remind all actors of their obligation to avoid actions putting peacekeepers or civilians in danger," the UN mission added.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack in Sidon and said reports about the injured peacekeepers are being investigated.

It said its forces are making "great efforts" to prevent harm to innocent civilians and are not deployed "against UNIFIL."

Fighting also continued in southern parts of Lebanon, where Israel launched a ground offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in late September.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli troops opened fire with machine guns around Naqoura, while confrontations with Hezbollah fighters were also recorded in other villages.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) meanwhile reported killing around 60 Hezbollah members in the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Videos circulating on social media showed planes were continuing to take off and land in Beirut despite explosions from Israeli air attacks that could be seen from the airport.

Hezbollah also launched dozens of rockets from Lebanon at targets in northern Israel on Thursday, triggering air raid alarms in Haifa and other areas.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said it had treated an 85-year-old man who had been injured by fragments, one day after an 18-year-old Israeli was killed in shelling from Hezbollah.

Dozens reported killed as Israel expands operations in northern Gaza

Fighting also continued on Thursday in northern Gaza, where the IDF said Israeli troops have expanded operations against the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"IDF troops started to operate against terrorist infrastructure in the Beit Lahia area," the IDF said. "Simultaneously, IDF troops continue to operate in the area of [Jabalia] and have eliminated approximately 50 terrorists over the past day," it added.

The city of Beit Lahia lies in the extreme north of the Gaza Strip, neighbouring the Jabalia refugee camp.

Palestinian sources have repeatedly reported many civilian casualties in the devastated area and the humanitarian situation is described as catastrophic.

The IDF has called on the population to evacuate the area, but residents report that many are refusing to leave as they see other parts of the Gaza Strip as insecure and are fearful of the hazardous route that must be taken to leave the combat zone.

In the latest casualties, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported at least 12 people killed and around 30 injured in the al-Shati refugee camp when an Israeli strike hit a former school building being used to shelter displaced people.

WAFA also reported further deaths across the Gaza Strip, including at least 10 in the central and Nuseirat and others in Jabalia and the southern city of Rafah.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the reports, which could not be independently verified.