Key Points
- An Australian-Lebanese man, his Lebanese wife and his brother have been killed in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.
- Acting foreign minister Mark Dreyfus said the government understands it was an Israeli airstrike.
- A DFAT spokesperson said the family would be provided with consular assistance if required.
Funerals have been held overnight for an Australian-Lebanese man, his Lebanese wife and his brother after they were killed in an airstrike in southern Lebanon.
The Associated Press news agency filed pictures from the town of Bint Jbeil showing the funeral procession with the caskets draped in the Hezbollah flag.
Meanwhile, Reuters has cited security and other sources on the ground in Lebanon as saying all were killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a home in the Al-Dawra neighbourhood.
Acting foreign minister Mark Dreyfus said the government “understood” the missile had been fired by Israel, adding the government had communicated with the Israeli government
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Wednesday said it was aware of reports that an Australian had been killed in an airstrike in Lebanon and was seeking confirmation. Source: AAP / Mohammad Zaatari
Hezbollah, which has widespread support in the area, later announced Ali Bazzi as one of the Shi'ite Muslim group's fighters, Reuters said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the death of two Australian citizens in an airstrike on Thursday.
A spokesperson added: "The Australian Embassy in Beirut stands ready to provide consular assistance to the family if required.
"The Australian Government continues to advise [that people] do not travel to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further."
Dreyfus said the government was "seeking to establish" the claim Ali Bazzi was linked to Hezbollah, which he stressed was a listed terror organisation.
"It's an offence for any Australian to cooperate with, to support, let alone to fight with a listed terrorist organisation like Hezbollah," he said on Thursday.
"Any Australian fighting with Hezbollah is committing a very serious terrorist offence under the Criminal Code. There are very heavy penalties … It's [also] an offence for any Australian to provide financial assistance to that terrorist organisation."
Dreyfus said the government urges any Australian still in Lebanon to leave while commercial flights are still available.
On Wednesday, DFAT said it could not comment on Hammoud's visa status, but SBS News understands the pair were planning on starting a new life together in Sydney.
"They were in their homes," a medic who works with the Civil Defence in south Lebanon told The National, the English-language United Arab Emirates-based news outlet.
He said there were no signs of fighting nearby before the strike and that Hammoud was recovered first from the debris.
"When they found her she was alive, but she died shortly after," he told The National. This could not be independently confirmed.
Lebanon's National News Agency also reported the deaths, saying the home belonged to the Bazzi family.
The Israeli Defence Force said it has been striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in recent days, in response to attacks by the Lebanese militant group on Israeli targets.
Asked about the incident, the Israeli military said one of its jets had struck a Hezbollah military site overnight in Lebanon, Reuters added.
Australia's Smartraveller website states there is a possibility of an increase in armed conflict in Lebanon that could affect wider parts of the country.
"Daily military action is occurring in southern Lebanon, including rocket and missile fire, as well as airstrikes," it states.
"The situation could escalate quickly."
- With additional reporting from Reuters.
