Israeli army announces another soldier killed in fighting in southern Lebanon

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army on Thursday morning announced that another soldier of its elite forces was killed during a fighting in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the Israeli army identified the slain soldier as Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, who was serving in the army's 13th Battalion of its elite Golani Brigade.

The statement did not provide further details on how he was killed, but the Lebanese Hezbollah group regularly issues statements about its fighters' confrontations with Israeli invading forces in southern Lebanon.

The announcement came shortly after the army late Wednesday said a soldier of its Maglan Unit was killed during a battle in southern Lebanon.

The soldier's death brought the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the launch of Israel's onslaught on Gaza last October, which later extended to Lebanon, to 803.

Israel has engaged in cross-border warfare with Lebanon, launching an air campaign in late September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets.

More than 3,500 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with nearly 15,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar