Three Lebanese soldiers, including two officers, were killed on Saturday, June 6, in an Israeli strike targeting an army vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese army said.

The strike killed a brigadier general, a captain and a soldier, according to the army. President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack and called on the international community to “assume its responsibilities” in the face of Israel’s “repeated aggressions,” according to An-Nahar.

The Israeli army said it had received indications that Hezbollah was preparing to fire at its soldiers from the same area where the Lebanese military vehicle was located. It said it was continuing to operate “against Hezbollah and not against the Lebanese army,” while adding that the incident was under review.

Hezbollah accused the Lebanese authorities of having made the strike possible through their “free concessions” to Israel. The movement is targeting the line pursued by Joseph Aoun, who supports a broader deployment of the army in the South and Hezbollah’s withdrawal from border areas, which the party-militia presents as a capitulation.

Since the start of the war on March 2, at least 13 Lebanese soldiers have been killed by Israeli strikes, according to a count based on Reuters and the latest toll announced by the Lebanese army, which has stayed out of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah but remains exposed in southern Lebanon.

Washington supports the Lebanese army as the backbone of a future arrangement meant to reduce Hezbollah’s armed presence in the South. But in May, the United States also sanctioned several Lebanese officials accused of helping the pro-Iranian movement, including an army officer suspected of passing information to Hezbollah.

The strike comes as a new proposed truce between Israel and Hezbollah collapsed before it could even take hold, with Israeli strikes resuming in Lebanon and the Shiite movement firing toward northern Israel.

Sources: Lebanese army, An-Nahar