Sharjah24 – AFP: The Lebanese army said Thursday that three of its soldiers were killed by Israeli fire while carrying out a rescue operation in the south where Israel is fighting Hezbollah.
"The Israeli enemy targeted Lebanese army personnel in the vicinity of Yater village, in the Bint Jbeil area of the south, while carrying out an operation to evacuate wounded, which led to the deaths of three martyrs, including an officer," an army statement said.
Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported an unspecified number of dead in a strike "on a house in Yater". It said paramedics were wounded when the Israeli air force struck a second time as they tried "to rescue the casualties".
The NNA also reported "a new wave of Israeli attacks on villages" in the southern districts of Tyre and Bint Jbeil overnight.
After nearly a year of war with Hamas in Gaza, Israel shifted its focus to Lebanon last month, vowing to secure its northern border under fire from Hezbollah. It ramped up air strikes on the group's strongholds and sent in ground troops.
At least 11 Lebanese soldiers have been killed by Israeli fire since September 23, according to an AFP tally of army announcements.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin expressed "deep concern" over the strikes on the Lebanese army in a call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Wednesday.
He "emphasised the importance of taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of the Lebanese Armed Forces" and UN peacekeepers, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said.
Thursday's strikes come as a donors' conference opens in Paris seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in aid for Lebanon.
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