Israeli strike targeting military vehicle kills several Lebanese soldiers

An Israeli strike killed several Lebanese Army soldiers, including an officer, after targeting a military vehicle on the road between Khardali and Nabatieh in South Lebanon on Saturday, despite the cease-fire that is theoretically in effect.

’’Several soldiers, including an officer,’’ were killed in a ‘’brutal Israeli attack’’ targeting a military vehicle on the road between Khardali and Nabatieh, the army said in a statement, describing the strike as part of the ‘’ongoing Israeli attacks against Lebanon and its population.’’

On Wednesday, following a fourth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Washington, mediators announced a new cease-fire agreement after the truce that took effect on April 17 repeatedly failed to hold. The agreement calls for a cease-fire conditioned on a ‘’complete halt’’ to Hezbollah fire while allowing Israeli military strikes and operations in South Lebanon to continue for the time being. Hezbollah rejected the agreement, as it did the previous one. Fighting has continued on the ground.

The Israeli army again ordered residents of five villages in South Lebanon and the Bekaa to evacuate ahead of planned strikes against Hezbollah. « You must immediately evacuate your homes and move north of the Zahrani River, » Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, said on Telegram.

Hezbollah resumed hostilities with Israel in early March, launching attacks on Israeli territory in retaliation for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the Israeli-American offensive on Tehran. Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 3,560 people since the war began, according to the latest official figures. On the Israeli side, 27 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Lebanon, according to the army.