Middle East latest: Israel apologizes for strike that killed 3 Lebanese soldiers

The Israeli military apologized Monday for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon the previous day, saying it is not battling the country's military and its soldiers believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah militant group.

Last week, Hezbollah said it is entering a new phase in its fight against invading Israeli troops, as the region reckoned with the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza. Sinwar was a chief architect of the attack on southern Israel that precipitated the latest escalating conflicts in the Middle East.

Israel’s allies, war-weary residents of Gaza and others have expressed hope that Sinwar’s death would pave the way for an end to the war, but both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas have vowed to keep fighting until they achieve their goals.

Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish combatants from civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people.

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Here's the latest:

Israeli military apologizes for strike that killed Lebanese soldiers

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has apologized for a strike in southern Lebanon that killed three Lebanese soldiers.

The military said it struck a truck on Sunday that had entered an area where it had previously targeted a Hezbollah truck transporting a launcher and missiles.

The military said soldiers were not aware that the second truck belonged to the Lebanese army.

The military said it is “not operating against the Lebanese Army and apologizes for these unwanted circumstances.”

Lebanon’s army is a respected institution within the country, but it is not powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or defend Lebanon from Israel’s invasion. The army has largely kept to the sidelines as Israel and Hezbollah have traded blows over the past year.

Israeli forces invaded southern Lebanon at the beginning of the month and have been operating in a narrow strip along the border. Israeli airstrikes have pounded large areas of the country, targeting what Israel says are Hezbollah sites.

The militant group has fired thousands of rockets, missiles and drones into Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, the day after its ally Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, triggering the war in Gaza.