IDF Kills Lebanese Army Brigadier General in Southern Lebanon- Israel Says Vehicle Entered Combat Zone Uncoordinated

An Israeli airstrike struck a Lebanese army vehicle in southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing a brigadier general, a captain, and a soldier in what the Lebanese Armed Forces described as the most lethal single strike against their forces since the conflict began. The IDF confirmed the strike, said the vehicle had entered an active combat zone without coordination, and announced an investigation.

The strike targeted a military vehicle traveling on a road between Kfar Tebnit and Khardali in the Nabatieh district. The IDF said it identified a vehicle "moving suspiciously" toward Israeli forces near the village of Kfar Tebnit.

The Israeli military confirmed hitting the vehicle and said the incident is under review. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun called the strike "a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty and international law."

The IDF said it "operates against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and not against the Lebanese army," and that movement through a combat zone "requires coordination with the IDF."

A Ceasefire Framework, and Ongoing Fire

The strike came just days after U.S.-mediated talks in Washington produced a new ceasefire framework between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah, however, has rejected the agreement, and fighting has continued unabated.

The IDF said it struck around 150 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the past two days, including weapons storage facilities, command centers, and rocket launchers.

Hezbollah's drone attacks against Israeli forces and northern communities have not stopped. The Iran-backed group called Saturday's strike on the Lebanese army vehicle "a heinous crime" and accused the Lebanese government of exposing its own country to bloodshed through what it described as "complete surrender to the enemy's demands in Washington."

The Lebanese army said the "continuation of the deliberate and repeated brutal Israeli aggression is aimed at thwarting all efforts to reach a solution."

The IDF said it is investigating and "will draw lessons accordingly."