Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon

At least 15 people were killed and 37 wounded in Israeli strikes across three different areas in Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry said, as Israel ordered the evacuation of more southern Lebanese towns.

One of the targeted locations was in the town of Deir Billa in northern Lebanon, which had not been struck before.

The official Lebanese National News Agency said an Israeli strike targeted a house in Deir Billa where families from south Lebanon had taken refuge.

The Israeli military also said Hezbollah had fired nearly 320 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel, without giving further details.

It declared areas around some towns in north Israel closed to the public.

Israel's military also ordered residents of 23 southern Lebanese villages to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, which flows from the western Bekaa Valley into the Mediterranean.

The order, communicated via a military statement, mentioned villages in southern Lebanon that have been recent targets of Israeli attacks, many of which are already almost empty.

Some of the areas ordered to evacuate are near UN base UNP 2-45, where Irish peacekeeping forces are based.

The Israeli military said evacuations were necessary for the safety of residents due to increased Hezbollah activities, claiming the group is using sites to conceal weapons and launch attacks on Israel.

Hezbollah denies concealing weapons among civilians.

The Lebanese health ministry said on X that five hospitals sustained damage from the Israeli airstrikes in the eastern city of Baalbek and the Bekaa Valley.

UN warns against 'catastrophic' regional conflict

It comes as UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have warned against a "catastrophic" regional conflict as Israeli forces battled Hezbollah and Hamas militants on two fronts.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said that unknown gunfire yesterday hit a peacekeeper, the fifth wounded in south Lebanon near the Israeli border in just two days.

"Last night, a peacekeeper at UNIFIL's headquarters" in Naqura "was hit by gunfire due to ongoing military activity nearby... We do not yet know the origin of the fire," a statement said, adding that the peacekeeper was "stable".

Earlier this week, two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt when Israeli soldiers responded with fire to what it called "an immediate threat" around 50 metres from a UNIFIL post, while two Indonesians were injured when an Israeli tank shot at their watchtower, according to UNIFIL.

The Irish Defence Forces said all Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon are accounted for and well today after the latest incident.

Israel has faced a fierce diplomatic backlash over the incidents in south Lebanon with Taoiseach Simon Harris saying Irish troops in the region are facing "a very dangerous situation".

The Taoiseach said the Government is monitoring the safety of Irish troops in Lebanon "on an hourly basis" and "the advice at the moment from the generals on the ground, both UN, and from our generals and chiefs of staff here and our defence forces is that the mission should continue, but it is a very dangerous situation".

Speaking to journalists at Government Buildings earlier today, Simon Harris said: "I, as head of Government, and every member of Government will do everything we possibly can to speak up, speak out and act against the egregious breach of international law that we're now seeing by Israel."

He added that he is "extraordinarily concerned about the situation that we see in southern Lebanon".

In an interview with AFP, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said he feared an Israeli escalation against Hezbollah in south Lebanon could soon spiral out of control "into a regional conflict with catastrophic impact for everyone".

Mr Tenenti said "a lot of damage" had been caused to UNIFIL posts in Lebanon in the last two days.

The incidents came more than two weeks into Israel's war with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has seen Israeli warplanes conduct extensive strikes and send ground troops across the border.

Israeli strike kills 29 in Gaza

Meanwhile, Israeli military strikes on Gaza have killed at least 29 Palestinians, medics said, and forces kept pushing deeper into the Jabalia area, where international relief agencies say thousands of people are trapped.

Residents said Israeli forces continued to pound Jabalia, in the north of the enclave, the largest of its historic refugee camps, from the air and ground.

Nineteen people were killed in Gaza overnight, and 10 more died this evening after Israel struck two houses in Jabalia and the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

The death toll could rise as many of the wounded are in critical condition, medics said.

The Israeli military published new evacuation orders to two neighbourhoods on the northern edge of Gaza City, which also lies in the north of the enclave, saying the area was a "dangerous combat zone".

In a statement, Gaza's interior ministry urged residents not to relocate within northern areas of the enclave and also to avoid heading south "where the occupation is conducting continued bombing and killing every day in the areas it claims to be safe".

The Israeli military said it had been operating against Hamas fighters who had been using civilian buildings and said clear evacuation instructions had been issued over recent days to areas including the Kamal Adwan Hospital.

It said an evacuation convoy to take patients from the hospital to Gaza City had arrived with a supply of fuel for the facility.

In recent days, the military had said that forces operating in Jabalia and nearby areas killed dozens of militants, located weapons and dismantled military infrastructure.

It said more than 20 fighters had been killed by tank fire, close range gunfire and airstrikes as forces continued operations throughout Gaza.

The operation in this area began a week ago and the military said then it aimed to fight against militants waging attacks and to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Hamas denies that its fighters deliberately use civilian areas as bases.

Palestinian health officials put the number of people killed in Jabalia over the past week at around 150.