Eight killed in south Lebanon strike as Israel warns entire city to evacuate
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike as seen from Marjayoun in southern Lebanon. (Reuters)
In short:
An Israeli strike has killed at least eight people and injured more than 30 in Tyre, south Lebanon.
Israel has warned the entire city to evacuate.
Doctors without Borders and Christian leaders in the city have called on the area to be spared from further strikes.
Israel has struck the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 30, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
Lebanon's health ministry described it as one of the deadliest Israeli bombing raids on Tyre since the war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah erupted on March 2.
The strike came as Israel's military issued an evacuation warning for the entire city of Tyre, including its north-western Christian quarter, which has so far been spared in the destructive air strikes.
Many Lebanese Shiite Muslims had fled to those areas as Israeli strikes hammered the Mediterranean coastal area over the past two weeks.
An Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon killed at least eight people, according to Lebanon's health ministry. (Reuters)
Last week, the Israeli military said militants from Iran-backed Hezbollah were hiding out in that area, without providing evidence.
It urged Christians in the city to demand Hezbollah depart, and threatened to order the district's evacuation if the fighters did not leave.
Lebanese state media said people were fleeing the city on Tuesday, with civil defence teams transporting elderly residents who stayed behind into temporary shelters.
Cars packed with mattresses, luggage and household belongings stretched for kilometres along Lebanon's coastal highway.
Doctors, religious leaders warn of 'irreversible consequences'
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it was deeply concerned by what it called "forced displacement practices," referring to Israel's warning for people to leave before the strikes.
It said they "expose people to further harm by compelling them to move in unsafe and chaotic conditions".
MSF said it had to suspend its medical activities at several hospitals nearby, as well as its mobile clinic operations, for the day.
Multiple Christian religious leaders from Tyre have also called on the international community and Lebanese officials to act quickly to prevent Israel from attacking the Christian district of the city.
"The old city is not merely a residential area," clergy George Iskandar, Elias Kfoury and Charbel Abdullah said in their joint statement.
"It is the historical and human heart of Tyre, home to thousands of civilians, including families, children, and the elderly.
"Any targeting or destruction of this neighbourhood would constitute a humanitarian and national catastrophe with irreversible consequences."
On Monday, Israel and Iran halted direct attacks on each other after an appeal by US President Donald Trump for them to stop, but Tehran said it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to attack its ally, the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Lebanon's army chief, General Rodolphe Haykal, travelled to Pakistan on Tuesday.
His visit comes as Lebanon's government takes an increasingly hard line on Hezbollah, but remains unable to disarm the powerful militia.
Hezbollah thanked Iran on Tuesday for attacking Israel "in defence of our Lebanese people", suggesting that Lebanon's government should take this opportunity to improve relations with Tehran.
Donald Trump believes a peace deal with Iran is close. (AP: Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump believes peace deal possible within days
Two crew members aboard a US Army Apache attack helicopter have been rescued after it crashed near the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump said both crew members were uninjured in the crash.
It was not clear whether the Apache had been shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure, or encountered another problem.
Asked if he knew what had brought it down off Oman, Mr Trump said a report would be issued later.
"The pilots are fine, yeah. Nobody injured," he said.
Mr Trump had earlier expressed renewed optimism over negotiations with Iran on a deal to end the war.
"We have a good chance" of signing a deal in "two or three days," Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump has repeatedly predicted that a deal is near over the two months since the US and Iran agreed to an initial ceasefire.
"We're very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal," the president said.
"If we do the bombing, you know, a lot of people are going to be killed. Who wants to do that? I don't."
Mediators, led predominantly by Pakistan, have been trying for weeks to get a deal across the line.
But both Iran and the US have taken hardline positions.
The US wanted to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which was believed still to be entombed in the country after American air strikes in the 12-day war in 2025.
But Iran was refusing that and demanding relief from sanctions.
It also wanted the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement was in place, which has previously been rejected by Mr Trump.
Reuters/AFP/AP