Beirut, Nov 18 (IANS): At least five people were killed and three others injured in Israeli attacks on the town of al-Mari in the Hasbaya District in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese military and medical sources.

At least two Lebanese soldiers were killed and two others wounded in Israeli artillery shelling targeting a Lebanese army post in al-Mari, a responsible source in the Lebanese army intelligence told Xinhua.

The Lebanese army also confirmed the attack in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ambulances from the Lebanese Red Cross transported the casualties to Hasbaya Governmental Hospital, Lebanese security sources told Xinhua.

In a separate incident, an Israeli raid on a farm in al-Mari killed three people and wounded a fourth, according to a source in the Lebanese Red Cross.

Since September 23, the Israeli army has leveled up its air attack on Lebanon in an escalation of conflict with Hezbollah. In early October, Israel initiated a ground operation across its northern border into Lebanon.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon since the beginning of the war on October 8, 2023, has reached 3,452, with injuries up to 14,664.