The Lebanese army has said three of its soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on their vehicle in southern Lebanon on Sunday.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Lebanon’s army has largely kept to the sidelines in the war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

The military is a respected institution in Lebanon but is not powerful enough to impose its will on Hezbollah or defend the country from an Israeli invasion.

Israel Lebanon
Members of the Israeli forces watch a fire after a rocket, fired from Lebanon, hit an area near the town of Rosh Pinna in northern Israel (Leo Correa/AP)

On Saturday, a drone targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house, causing no casualties. It wasn’t clear if the house was hit.

The military said Hezbollah fired around 160 projectiles into Israel on Sunday. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Meanwhile, Israel has ramped up strikes on southern neighbourhoods of Beirut known as the Dahiyeh, a crowded residential area.

Hezbollah has a strong presence there, but it is also home to large numbers of civilians and people unaffiliated with the militant group.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has called civilian casualties in the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon “far too high” and urged Israel to scale back some strikes, especially in and around Beirut.