Israeli army admits killing Lebanese soldiers

AA/Jerusalem

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the strike targeting a Lebanese army military vehicle and admitted having killed three Lebanese soldiers.

In a statement, the Israeli army said it had spotted a vehicle belonging to the Lebanese army which was approaching Israeli forces in a “suspicious” manner near the village of Tebnit, in southern Lebanon.

According to the press release, the Lebanese military vehicle was traveling in an “active combat zone” without prior coordination with Israel.

Furthermore, the Israeli army announced the opening of an internal investigation into this attack.

The Lebanese army had previously announced that an Israeli airstrike targeting a military vehicle traveling on the Kefr Tebnit-Hardali road, in the governorate of Nabatieh, had cost the lives of two officers, including a brigadier general, as well as a soldier.

In its statement, the Lebanese army condemned Israel’s “repeated attacks”, stressing that they aimed to hinder efforts to restore stability in the country, establish a comprehensive ceasefire and obtain withdrawal Israeli from the occupied Lebanese territories.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the ceasefire

On March 2, the Israeli army launched a vast campaign of air strikes against Lebanon and occupied several localities in the south of the country.

The Lebanese government indicated that the number of displaced people had exceeded one million during this period.

American President Donald Trump announced on April 24 that the ten-day temporary ceasefire that came into effect on April 17 between Lebanon and Israel had been extended for another three weeks.

At the end of the third round of negotiations carried out under American mediation on May 14 and 15, the two parties agreed to extend the ceasefire by 45 days from May 17.

In its latest report, the Lebanese Ministry of Health indicated that Israeli attacks carried out since March 2 had left 3,558 dead.

At the end of the fourth round of discussions in Washington, the US State Department announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had reached an agreement on a global ceasefire, on the condition that Hezbollah completely ceases its attacks and withdraws all of its forces south of the river Litani.

Hezbollah, however, rejected this conditional ceasefire. Despite the announced ceasefire agreements, the Israeli army continues its attacks.

*Translated from English by Adama Bamba