UPDATE - 3 Lebanese soldiers killed in Israeli airstrike on military facility in southern Lebanon

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By Naim Berjawi

BEIRUT (AA) - The Lebanese army said Tuesday that three soldiers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a military post in Sarafand, a village in southern Lebanon.

“The Israeli enemy targeted an army post in Sarafand, leading to the martyrdom of three soldiers,” it wrote on X.

The Health Ministry confirmed the casualties in a separate statement, reporting an initial toll of three soldiers killed and eight wounded, including military personnel and civilians.

It later reported an initial injury count of 17 without specifying the number of injured soldiers.

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Sunday that the death toll for Lebanese soldiers had risen to 36 since the onset of Israeli aggression in October 2023.

The announcement coincided with another attack where two soldiers were killed and two injured in an airstrike that targeted a military post in the town of Mari in southern Lebanon's Hasbaiyya district.

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

More than 3,540 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with over 15,000 injured and more than a 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 Mohammad Sio