TRANSCRIPT
Ever since the war erupted on October 7, Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group has repeatedly traded fire with Israel along the border between the two countries.
Hezbollah fires missiles and rockets into Israel and Israel responds with airstrikes and artillery barrages.
Local media in Lebanon says an Israeli war plane fired a missile at a number of homes in Lebanon's Bint Jbei area.
A missile strike killed 27-year-old Ibraham Bazzi, his brother Ali Bazzi and Ibrahim's wife Shorouk Hammoud.
Ms Hammoud had recently acquired an Australian visa and she and her husband Ibrahim were planning a life in Australia.
The Mayor of Bint Jbeil, Afif Bazzi, says his town is neutral in the Israel-Hamas conflict and the air strike was a complete shock.
Arabic then voiceover: "It was a surprise that the Israelis hit a civilian neighbourhood, people are living normally, they have not fled. We did not flee Bint Jbeil, all residents are still in Bint Jbeil. We hear the bombardment and the shelling but it was still far away, the town was neutral but we were surprised that a civilian neighbourhood was hit, civilians, a groom who came from Australia to take his bride. They were spending time together along with his brother at his brother’s house, really it was a surprise for us."
The AFP news agency says Hezbollah has claimed Ali Bazzi as one of its fighters.
All three have been buried after funerals in southern Lebanon where their caskets were draped in the Hezbollah flag.
Asked about the deaths, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it's confirmed the death of two Australian citizens in an air strike in southern Lebanon.
It says the Australian Embassy in Beirut stands ready to provide consular assistance to the family, if required.
Acting Foreign Minister Mark Dreyfus says the federal government is examining the statements from Hezbollah to assess their veracity.
"We are aware of the announcement made by Hezbollah claiming links to one of the Australians killed. We are seeking to establish the facts, however, Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organisation under Australian law. There is daily military in southern Lebanon, including rocket and missile fire as well as air strikes. For Australians in Lebanon, we urge you to leave while commercial options remain available."
The Australian Government continues to advise people not to travel to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further.
And it could well get worse based on the latest commentary from Israel's government.
Benny Gantz is a minister in Israel's War Cabinet and issued this warning about the ongoing fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border.
“The situation on the northern border requires change. The hourglass for a political arrangement is running out. If the world and the Lebanese government will not act to stop the firing on the northern settlements and keep Hezbollah away from the border - the IDF will do so.”
Palestinian health officials say the Israeli military has launched heavy strikes across the centre and south of the Gaza Strip, killing dozens.
Thousands of Palestinian families fled from the brunt of Israel’s expanding ground offensive into Gaza’s few remaining, overcrowded refuges.
The newly displaced were fleeing from several built-up refugee camps in central Gaza targeted in the latest phase of Israel’s ground assault.
One of the camps, Bureij, came under heavy bombardment throughout the night as Israeli troops moved in.
The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza says more than 21,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed since the start of the war, including nearly 200 people in the last 24 hours.
The count doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants.
