JERUSALEM, July 21 (AFP) - The Israeli army was probing the killing of two of its soldiers Wednesday by Lebanon-based Hezbollah snipers as the senior officer for the northern command issued a warning to Syria if attacks continue.
As the funerals were being held for sergeants Itai Iluz and Avishai Kurisky, a military source confirmed that senior officers were investigating how the pair were allowed to come into the line of fire after being to be ordered to mount the roof of an outpost and fix an antenna.
"There is an investigation regarding the whole incident, which will be overseen by the most senior officers in the northern command," a military source told AFP.
Public radio quoted a senior officer as describing the incident as a "serious fiasco", adding that neither of the soldiers was wearing bullet proof vests.
The area had been on a high state of alert following a Monday's killing of a leading Hezbollah commander in a Beirut car bomb blast blamed on Israel.
Some time passed until it was discovered that they had been injured and the pair later died of their wounds.
General Benny Ganz, overall commander for the northern region, issued a warning to the Shiite militia's supporters -- Iran and Syria -- that Israel was "fully prepared to confront any deterioration of the situation on the northern borders."
Ganz also threatened to direct "a painful strike against Syria" if Hezbollah continued its attacks.
Hezbollah suffered one casualty in retaliatory action by Israel that also saw its war planes break the sound barrier over Beirut.