BEIRUT/JERUSALEM - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday strongly condemned an Israeli attack on a Lebanese Army patrol that killed two officers and one soldier.
Condemning the attack on the Khardali-Nabatieh road earlier in the day as a flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and international laws and norms, Aoun said in a statement that the strike was part of Israel's ongoing escalation that threatens stability and security in southern Lebanon, despite Beirut's efforts in Washington negotiations to end the ongoing Israeli attacks.
Aoun said the fallen servicemen had joined a long list of military and civilian victims, including children, women, paramedics, rescue workers, and journalists killed in Israeli attacks.
He extended his condolences to the Lebanese Army command and the families of the victims, praising the sacrifices of the officers, soldiers, and other military personnel who had given their lives in defense of the country and its sovereignty.
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He stressed that Lebanon would not waver in protecting its land and people. Such attacks, he added, would not deter the country from upholding its full national rights.
Aoun also called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, put an end to the repeated attacks, and ensure respect for relevant international resolutions to preserve Lebanon's security and stability.
At least 14 people, including the three Lebanese army personnel, were killed in Israeli attacks across southern Lebanon on Saturday, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
The Lebanese army said the three soldiers were killed while patrolling in a vehicle on the Khardali-Kfar Tebnit road in the Nabatieh area.
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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it has launched an investigation into the strike, claiming that the vehicle was identified in an active combat zone amid intelligence indicating a Hezbollah threat. The IDF stressed that its operations target Hezbollah, not the Lebanese army.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon condemned the attack as a "gross violations" of Lebanon's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri rejected Israeli justifications, calling the strike "by no means a mistake or an accident."
Elsewhere, six people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Saksakiyeh in the Sidon district, according to a preliminary toll.
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Additional strikes killed one person on the Deir al-Zahrani highway, two in the town of Harouf, one in Jouaiya, and one on a motorcycle in Abbassiyeh, who was identified as assistant nurse Ali Samadi.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for several towns and villages in the Jezzine district and Ansariyeh.
The IDF said that it struck around 150 Hezbollah military infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon over the weekend, including weapons depots, command centers, and rocket launchers.
Hezbollah said its fighters confronted an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over the town of Sharqiyeh in southern Lebanon and forced it to retreat. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the claim.
In a separate statement, Lebanon's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said the cumulative casualties from Israeli attacks since March 2 had risen to 3,593 killed and 10,990 injured.
