BEIRUT

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed Sunday by an Israeli airstrike that directly targeted a military post in the town of al-Mari in southern Lebanon, the army said.

A military statement said Israeli forces directly hit a military center in al-Mari in the Hasbaya area, killing one soldier and injuring three others, including one initially in critical condition.

A statement shortly afterwards said that another soldier had died of his injuries.

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in a similar Israeli attack in southern Lebanon last month.

Israel launched an air campaign in Lebanon in September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare over Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

More than 3,400 people have been killed, over 14,600 injured, and more than 1 million displaced by Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.

Tel Aviv expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala