The six hostages, whose bodies were found in Gaza over the summer, were probably shot in February by their captors as an Israeli strike hit close to the tunnel where they were held, the military said.

February strike shows potential risks of military operations for remaining captives.

As tit-for-tat strikes strain a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah less than a week since it went into effect, Israel’s defense minister on Tuesday threatened to directly target the Lebanese state should the agreement fall apart.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they have targeted Israel with drones three times in the past 48 hours in cooperation with their allies in Iraq. In a statement, the Houthis said two operations targeted northern Israel and the third targeted the southern city of Eilat.