An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon has killed a senior commander of the Hezbollah group, further escalating the tensions in the region. Wissam al-Tawil, a senior commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, was killed in a strike in the village of Majdal Selm, sparking fears of a wider war. This comes amid increasing clashes between Iran-backed Hezbollah militants and the Israeli military along the Lebanon-Israel border.

The strike on al-Tawil is the latest in a series of attacks that have raised the prospect of a wider conflict, with Hezbollah launching a wide-ranging missile attack on an Israeli military base in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed a senior Hamas leader in Beirut last week. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently in the region, is working to prevent a wider conflict from erupting. The situation has also raised concerns over the devastating toll the fighting in Gaza is taking on civilians, with thousands fleeing from central Gaza's main hospital and the dire conditions in northern Gaza.

Hamas' attempts to ease pressure on Gaza have also led to a significant loss of life and displacement on both sides, with widespread suffering among civilians. Preventing a wider war between Israel and Lebanon is a priority for Blinken, who is working to head off the escalating conflict in the region. The situation is further complicated by the devastating war in Gaza, which continues to exact a mounting toll on civilians. The US has called on Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians, but has also rejected international calls for a ceasefire. The ongoing conflict has taken a deadly toll on both Israeli and Lebanese civilians, with concerns mounting over the risk of a wider war erupting in the region.