Iranian-backed militants and Israeli forces traded fire around northern Israel, heightening fears that the war in Gaza could spill into a broader regional conflict including Lebanon and Syria.

The Israeli military said it returned fire on Wednesday after Hezbollah militants in Lebanon fired rockets into Israel. A separate Israeli airstrike on Wednesday killed three people, including two Lebanese-Australian citizens. An Iranian-backed Iraqi militia claimed responsibility for an uncrewed aircraft carrying explosives that crash-landed into part of the Golan Heights annexed by Israel.