Israeli strike kills journalists in southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike killed has three journalists in south Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry says, and the UN refugee agency warns Israeli airstrikes on a border crossing with Syria were hindering refugees trying to flee the war.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was an urgency to get a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, a day after he said Washington did not want to see a protracted campaign in Lebanon by its ally Israel.

Israel launched its major offensive in Lebanon a month ago, saying it was targeting the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah group to secure the return home of tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from the north due to cross-border rocket attacks.

The conflict was sparked by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel and the Israeli offensive it ignited in Gaza, where Palestinian officials said Israeli strikes in Khan Younis had killed at least 38 people since Thursday night.

Beirut authorities say Israel's Lebanon offensive has killed more than 2500 people and displaced more than 1.2 million people, sparking a humanitarian crisis.

The journalists killed in south Lebanon were camera operator Ghassan Najjar and engineer Mohamed Reda of the pro-Iranian news outlet Al-Mayadeen and camera operator Wissam Qassem, who worked for Hezbollah's Al-Manar, the outlets said in separate statements. Several others were wounded.

They had been staying at guesthouses in Hasbaya when it was hit around 3am. The town had not previously been targeted.

Five journalists have been killed in previous Israeli strikes while reporting on the conflict, including Reuters visual journalist Issam Abdallah on October 13, 2023.

"This is a war crime," Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary said. At least 18 journalists from six media outlets, including Sky News and Al-Jazeera were using the guesthouses.

"We heard the airplane flying very low - that's what woke us up - and then we heard the two missiles," Muhammad Farhat, a reporter with Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed, said.

He said several bungalows had been damaged. His footage showed overturned and damaged cars, some marked "Press".

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which in general denies deliberately attacking journalists.

Israel has used airstrikes to pound southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs, and has also sent ground forces into southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said jets had hit Hezbollah targets around the Jousieh border crossing in the northern Bekaa Valley, using what it said were precision munitions to reduce harm to civilians.

It said Hezbollah used the crossing, controlled by the Syrian military, to transfer weapons into Lebanon.

Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said the strike had knocked the crossing out of service. This means both Lebanon's eastern crossings are closed, leaving the northern route as the only way to Syria.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said the strikes were hindering refugees' attempts to flee. UNHCR spokesperson Rula Amin said some 430,000 people have crossed to Syria since Israel's campaign started. Lebanon has previously been a major destination for refugees from the Syrian civil war.

"The attacks on the border crossings are a major concern," Amin said. "They are blocking the path to safety for people fleeing conflict."

The Israeli campaign spiralled out of a year of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah, which opened fire on October 8, 2023, in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas, a day after it launched the October 7 attack.

"We have a sense of real urgency in getting to a diplomatic resolution and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, such that there can be real security along border between Israel and Lebanon," Blinken said in London.

He said it was important so "people at both sides of the border can have the confidence to ... return to their homes".

Officials said on Thursday that US and Israeli negotiators will gather in Doha in the coming days to try and restart talks toward a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.