The Israeli military confirmed killing Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib, accusing him of having "operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist".

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader in the opening salvo of the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic.

Israel has responded with large-scale airstrikes across Lebanon and a ground offensive in the south, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 1,189 people killed since the hostilities broke out.

A Lebanese military source told AFP earlier on Saturday that Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah's Al Manar channel and Fatima Ftouni of Al Mayadeen, seen as close to the Iran-backed movement, were killed in Jezzine, alongside Ftouni's brother, a cameraman.

Al Mayadeen and Al Manar confirmed the deaths of their journalists.

Shoeib was one of Al Manar's most prominent war correspondents, having covered Israeli attacks on Lebanon for decades.

In a statement, the Israeli military said it had targeted Shoeib, alleging that he "operated within the Hezbollah terrorist organisation under the guise of a journalist for the Al Manar network".

It later said that it had killed "over 800" Hezbollah members "from the air, sea, and on the ground" since the start of the current war.

- 'Blatant crime' -

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the killings, calling them "a blatant crime that violates all the norms and treaties under which journalists enjoy international protection in wars".

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the targeting of journalists was "a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law", while Information Minister Paul Morcos deemed the actions to be "war crimes".

A strike on central Beirut earlier this month killed Mohammad Sherri, Al Manar's political programmes director.

Several journalists were also killed and wounded during the previous round of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2023 and 2024.

At least five journalists were killed in Israeli strikes in the south in that conflict, including a correspondent for Al-Mayadeen TV and a cameraman for Al-Manar.

In October 2023, Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed and six others wounded, including AFP journalists Dylan Collins and Christina Assi while covering the conflict near the Israeli border.

An independent AFP investigation concluded that two Israeli 120mm tank shells were fired from the Jordeikh area inside Israel.

- Strikes on south -

On Saturday evening, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over Beirut, with residents across the country hearing loud booms.

Israel earlier launched a new series of raids on southern Lebanon, killing nine paramedics according to Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine.

The minister said four of the medics were from the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee and were targeted by Israeli strikes while carrying out rescue missions, while five were from the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement's Risala Scouts, who were also on duty.

Since the start of the war, the Health Ministry has documented the deaths of 46 paramedics and five other healthcare workers in Lebanon due to Israeli strikes, the minister said.

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that "March has been the second most deadly month for health workers in Lebanon" since the organisation started monitoring attacks in October 2023.

"Health workers are protected under international humanitarian law and should never be targeted," he added.

The Lebanese army, meanwhile, announced the death of two of its soldiers, killed in Israeli airstrikes in the towns of Deir Zahrani and Kfar Tibnit. Military sources told AFP that the soldiers were not on duty.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported "a series of strikes" in the south early Saturday.

In Henniyeh, the health ministry said an Israeli strike killed seven people, six Syrians and one Lebanese, and wounded nine Syrians.

It said that another strike on Deir Zahrani killed seven people and wounded eight others.

Hezbollah said in separate statements that it had targeted gatherings of Israeli forces in several southern towns including near Taybeh, just a few kilometres from Israel.

Israeli forces have been pushing into areas near the border, and officials have announced plans to establish a buffer zone up to the Litani River, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Israel.