A roadside bomb hit four Israel Defense Forces soldiers overnight in south Lebanon, leaving one of them in serious condition, the military said Sunday.

An officer was also moderately hurt in the overnight blast, while another officer and a soldier each sustained light injuries, the military said, adding that all four troops were taken to a hospital for treatment.

It was unclear whether the bomb, likely planted by Hezbollah, was placed before or during the ceasefire in Lebanon that US President Donald Trump announced on April 16, or the Iran ceasefire that began on April 8.

Shortly before announcing the roadside blast, the IDF called on residents to flee at least a kilometer (0.6 miles) away from the southern Lebanese villages of Irzay, Merouaniyeh, Babliyeh and Baisariyah.

“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” said army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

Lebanese state media reported several strikes in the country’s south, including before the warning was issued.

Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the broader regional war on March 2. US-brokered Israeli-Lebanese talks — the neighboring enemy states’ highest-level contact in decades — having failed to bring the conflict to a close, with Lebanon demanding an Israeli withdrawal and Israel demanding that Hezbollah be disarmed. The Iran-backed terror group itself rejects direct talks with Israel and says its arms are not up for discussion.

Hezbollah on Sunday fired several missiles and drones at IDF troops in southern Lebanon and at Israeli communities on the Lebanese border, without any injuries, according to the military.

In Israel, apparent Hezbollah drones triggered sirens in the........

© The Times of Israel