2 Lebanese army personnel killed, 2 others injured after Israeli drone exploded in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military said earlier
The Israeli army on Friday acknowledged “injuring” Lebanese soldiers in a strike in southern Lebanon and claimed it had opened an investigation into the incident.
The announcement by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee came a day after the Lebanese army reported that an officer and a soldier were killed and two others wounded when an Israeli drone exploded while being examined after falling in Naqoura, in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon.
In a statement on the US social media company X, Adraee said: “Yesterday, the Israeli army struck an engineering vehicle in the Naqoura area of southern Lebanon,” claiming it “was involved in rebuilding military infrastructure for Hezbollah in the area.”
He claimed that a technical malfunction caused the ordnance not to explode as intended and to fall to the ground, resulting in injuries among Lebanese soldiers.
The Israeli army said it is “examining whether the incident was caused by Israeli munitions,” adding that “an investigation will be conducted.”
Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.
A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.
Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply. Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.
