The Israeli Defense Forces killed three members of the Lebanese Army in a car strike Saturday, jeopardizing a fragile cease-fire between the two countries brokered by President Trump just this week.
The IDF strike targeted a military vehicle traveling in the Nabatieh area, killing a brigadier general, a captain and a soldier, according to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which lashed out after the attack.
Lebanon officials accused Israel of thwarting efforts “to reach a solution that would restore stability, establish a comprehensive ceasefire and lead to the Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
“The continued, deliberate, and repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon, its people and its army only strengthen our resolve, faith and determination,” the Lebanese army said in a statement, according to the Times of Israel.
The IDF confirmed carrying out the strike, saying the military vehicle was “moving suspiciously” in a combat zone where its soldiers were facing threats from Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
“The IDF had received concrete indications that Hezbollah would direct fire toward IDF soldiers from the same area,” it said in a statement on X.
“In light of the threat posed to the soldiers, the vehicle was struck.”
The deadly attack came after an IDF soldier was killed by members of the terror group in a separate incident in southern Lebanon over the weekend.
“The IDF operates against the Hezbollah terrorist organization, not against the Lebanese Army,” Israeli military said in a statement, adding that it plans to review the incident.
Israel has been battling the Iranian-backed terror group since March in southern Lebanon, attacking Hezbollah shortly after launching its war on Iran.
The Jewish state, however, is not in direct conflict with the Lebanese government and insisted it’s “not against the Lebanese Army,” which under the US-brokered deal cease-fire reached Wednesday, would take over areas of southern Lebanon long dominated by Hezbollah.
The strike on the Lebanese military, however, could also pose a fresh obstacle to the stalled US-Iran peace talks.
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