Israeli strikes kill Lebanese soldiers after ceasefire push

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed nine people Saturday, including three members of the Lebanese military, drawing sharp condemnation from Beirut and prompting the Israel Defense Forces to open an investigation into one of the attacks.

The Lebanese Army said two officers and a soldier were killed when Israel struck their car near the village of Kfar Tebnit, close to Nabatieh and about four miles north of the Litani River. NPR reported that the dead included a brigadier general, a captain and another soldier, and that the vehicle was on a road linking Nabatieh with Marjayoun.

The army described the strike as an “aggressive and barbaric raid” and accused Israel of “brutal, deliberate and repeated aggression.” In another statement, it said: “The continued, deliberate, and repeated Israeli aggression against Lebanon, its people and its army only strengthens our resolve, faith and determination.”

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said a separate Israeli strike on the southern village of Saksakiyah killed six people and wounded four, NPR reported.

The Israeli military confirmed it had hit a vehicle carrying Lebanese soldiers and said the incident was under review. It said the vehicle had been “moving suspiciously” toward Israeli forces in an “active and evacuated combat zone,” where Hezbollah has operated, and that gunfire had been reported in the area. NPR reported that the military said it had received “concrete indications” that Hezbollah would direct fire toward Israeli soldiers from the same area.

The IDF said troop movements in the area require coordination with Israeli forces. It repeated that its forces “are operating against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation, not against the Lebanese Army.”

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun called the strike “a flagrant violation to Lebanese sovereignty and international law.” He said it came amid “ongoing escalation that threatens stability and security in the south” despite Lebanese efforts in Washington-backed negotiations to end Israeli attacks.

The strikes came days after Israel and Lebanon’s government reached a new U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal, according to NPR. Hezbollah rejected the truce. The BBC reported that Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed talks between Lebanon and Israel as “futile.”

The BBC reported that the agreement included a provision that Israel would not attack Hezbollah positions in Beirut if the group did not attack Israel, as well as “pilot” security zones in southern Lebanon where Hezbollah would be barred from operating.

Lebanon’s government opposes Hezbollah and has tried to mediate an end to the fighting. It has said a ceasefire is needed so its forces can disarm Hezbollah, while Israel has accused Beirut of lacking the ability to do so.

On Friday, Aoun and Lebanon’s prime minister criticized Iran for opposing the latest ceasefire deal, saying Lebanon should not be used by Tehran as a “bargaining chip” in talks with Washington, NPR reported. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on X that “one would think it’s Iran that has occupied a fifth of Lebanon, displaced a quarter of Lebanese and is bombing his country on daily basis.” He added: “Had Lebanon been a bargaining chip for Iran, we’d have a deal long ago. Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President.”

The war began March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel. The BBC reported the rockets were launched in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed Iran’s supreme leader, while NPR reported they came two days after Israel and the U.S. began attacks on Iran. Israel responded with an air campaign across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south.

NPR reported that Israeli forces have seized around a fifth of Lebanon, displaced more than 1 million people and killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon since the war began. The fighting has killed at least 29 Israeli soldiers and three civilians, NPR reported.