ISTANBUL

Lebanon on Monday announced plans to file a complaint against Israel at the UN Security Council over Tel Aviv's repeated attacks on the country's armed forces in its southern region.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had instructed its permanent mission to the UN in New York to submit a formal complaint to the council condemning Israel's continuing assaults on the Lebanese military.

Two soldiers died and three others were injured, including one in critical condition, following an Israeli strike on a military outpost in the town of Mari in the Hasbaiyya district, southern Lebanon, the statement noted.

With this latest incident, the total number of Lebanese army soldiers killed by Israeli attacks since Oct. 8, 2023, rose to 36.

The ministry emphasized that the attacks undermine international efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a full cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the creation of an arms-free zone between the Blue Line (the boundary separating Lebanon and Israel) and the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

The resolution allows for the presence of the Lebanese army and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the area.

The ministry stressed that ensuring the safety of the Lebanese army and supporting it in carrying out its full duties is crucial to strengthening security along Lebanon's borders.

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

More than 3,500 people have been killed, nearly 15,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced by Israeli attacks since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.

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

*Writing by Mohammad Sio