Lebanon’s prime minister has accused Israel of war crimes after Israeli air strikes killed one journalist and wounded another in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the BBC reports.

The strike killed Amal Khalil, who worked for a Lebanese newspaper, and injured freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj.

Officials in Lebanon say they were deliberately targeted as they sought shelter in a home after an initial air strike hit the vehicle in front of them, killing two men.

The officials also accused the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of intentionally targeting a marked ambulance as it tried to reach the journalists in the village of Tayri.

The IDF denied that it was preventing rescue teams from reaching the area and said it did not target journalists.

Journalists Khalil, 43, who worked for Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, and Faraj, a freelance photographer, were travelling together. The two men who died have not been named by officials.

The BBC quoted Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam as saying: “Targeting journalists, obstructing access to them by relief teams, and even targeting their locations again after these teams arrive constitutes described war crimes.”

In a statement, the IDF said it “does not target journalists and acts to mitigate harm to them while maintaining the safety and security of its troops”.

The IDF said it identified two vehicles that had “departed from a military structure used by Hezbollah”.

Earlier this month, two journalists were killed in separate Israeli strikes in Lebanon – Ghada Dayekh, a presenter with privately-owned radio station Sawt al-Farah, and Suzan Khalil, a reporter and presenter on Al-Manar TV, which is affiliated with the armed group Hezbollah.

Last month, three Lebanese journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli strike in the town of Jezzine, their employers said.

Ali Shoeib, a reporter for Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV, and reporter Fatima Ftouni and her brother, cameraman Mohamed Ftouni, both from Al Mayadeen channel, were killed in the strike.

At the time, the IDF confirmed it killed Shoeib and Mohamed Ftouni, describing them as “terrorists” from Hezbollah’s military wing, while saying it was aware of reports a female journalist was also killed.

At least 2,475 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the latest war began, and more than 7,500 wounded, according to the Lebanese authorities, whose figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The number includes at least 274 women and 177 children.

Israeli authorities say Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in Israel since 2 March, and that 13 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Lebanon.

Both Hezbollah and Israel have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement. The IDF said earlier on Wednesday that Hezbollah launched an attack on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon.