A Lebanese soldier was killed by Israeli fire on a military post near the country’s southern border, the army has said, the first such death since cross-border hostilities began in October.

According to AFP, the Lebanon-Israel border has seen intensifying exchanges of fire since the war broke out between Hamas and Israel, mainly involving Iran-backed Hezbollah, raising fears of a broader conflagration.

“An army military position in the… Adaysseh area was bombarded by the Israeli enemy, leaving one soldier martyred and three others injured,” the Lebanese army said in a statement.

Israel’s army acknowledged the incident, saying in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it had targeted a Hezbollah position in an effort “to eliminate an imminent threat”.

“The Lebanese Armed Forces were not the target of the strike,” the Israeli forces said, adding it regretted the incident.