The army chief of Lebanon has travelled to Pakistan in a surprise diplomatic visit as the country prepares funeral arrangements for soldiers killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.
According to military sources, the visit comes at a sensitive time as regional tensions continue to rise following intensified fighting involving Israel and armed groups operating in southern Lebanon.
At the same time, funeral plans are underway in Lebanon for soldiers who were killed when an Israeli strike hit a military vehicle in the south. The Lebanese army has confirmed the deaths of several personnel, including senior officers, and described them as national losses.
Officials said the funerals will be held with full military honours, as the country mourns the latest casualties in an escalating conflict that has already caused widespread instability in the border region.
The Israeli military has said it is reviewing the incident, while maintaining that its operations in southern Lebanon are aimed at militant targets rather than the Lebanese army itself.
The situation has added further strain to already fragile regional diplomacy, with international actors calling for restraint and renewed efforts to prevent the conflict from expanding further.