JERUSALEM (VINnews)-The Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike Sunday night targeting two Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives in eastern Lebanon who were attempting to cross into Syria, the military said.

The strike hit near the village of Majdal Anjar in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, along a road connecting Damascus to Beirut, approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Israel’s border.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that four people were killed in the attack.

The IDF described the targets as Islamic Jihad members who had been operating from Lebanese territory in recent months to advance terror activities against Israel.

“The terrorists’ actions posed an immediate threat to the citizens of the State of Israel and to IDF troops operating in the Syrian arena,” the military said in a statement.

The strike occurred amid ongoing Israeli efforts to counter threats from Iranian-backed groups in the region, including those allied with Hezbollah. Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based militant organization, has coordinated with Hezbollah in past conflicts.

No immediate comment was available from Islamic Jihad or Hezbollah on the incident. Lebanese state media reported the strike targeted a vehicle near the Lebanon-Syria border area.

The incident marks one of the first Israeli-claimed strikes in Lebanon specifically against Islamic Jihad operatives since a recent truce between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.