BEIRUT:

Lebanese army chief Rodolphe Haykal left Lebanon for Pakistan on Saturday where he will meet his counterpart Asim Munir, the Lebanese military said, with a source telling AFP the visit is linked to broader Iran-US talks.

In a statement, the army said that Haykal “left Lebanon for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, at the invitation of his Pakistani counterpart, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir”.

A source with knowledge of the matter told AFP Haykal’s visit is “linked to the Pakistani mediation to resolve” issues between the United States and Iran who are negotiating an end to the Middle East regional war.

“Lebanon is critical part of the negotiations,” the source added, requesting anonymity.

Lebanon’s military said earlier on Saturday that three soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on the country’s south.

A new conditional truce was announced by Lebanese and Israeli envoys this week in Washington.