Lebanese general among three soldiers killed in Israeli attack on car
According to the BBC, three soldiers — including a general — have been killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon. The attack comes at a moment when implementation talks on the renewed Israel-Lebanon ceasefire have grown tense.
Citing Lebanese Armed Forces sources, the BBC reports that the strike targeted a brigade commander travelling in a vehicle in the Tibnin area east of Tyre. Two other soldiers travelling with the vehicle were also killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike had targeted a Hezbollah cell rather than the Lebanese army.
The government in Beirut described the incident as 'a clear breach of the ceasefire' and lodged a petition with the UN Security Council. A UNIFIL spokesperson said the targeted vehicle had been carrying military convoy markings, but added that an investigation has been opened to confirm the facts. The United States and France sent representatives to the scene and urged restraint from both sides.
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked the IDF to set out the details of the strike in writing. An initial statement from Hezbollah's political wing stressed that the movement had remained within the ceasefire framework. A verified investigation report is awaited.
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