Lebanon's army said on Saturday that several soldiers had been killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in the south, days after the two countries announced a conditional truce following talks in the United States.

"A number of military personnel, including an officer, were martyred in a barbaric Israeli raid targeting a military vehicle on the Khardali-Nabatieh road," the army said in a statement posted to X.

Under the conditional truce, Hezbollah is supposed to stop its attacks against Israel and withdraw from near the border, while the Lebanese army will deploy to new "pilot zones" in the area where it would exercise exclusive control.

The strike came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, who had criticised Tehran for interfering in his country, to save Lebanon from its "real foe".

"Based on Mr Aoun's comments, one would think it's Iran that has occupied 1/5 of Lebanon, displaced 1/4 of Lebanese and bombing his country on daily basis... Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr President," Araghchi wrote on X.

Aoun had said on Friday that Iran was using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the United States and that Lebanese people were paying the price for Iran's interests.

"Had Lebanon been a bargaining chip for Iran, we'd have a deal long ago," Araghchi posted on X. (AFP)



Edited by Azam Khan