Israel buries three soldiers in one day

Three soldiers who were killed in Monday's double-disaster in the northern arena were to be laid to rest Wednesday. Col. Tzvi Loft, 42, of Yeshuv Hogla in Emek Hefer had served in the military for two and a half decades. Col. Loft's helicopter crashed Monday in northern Israel. Loft's funeral was held Wednesday morning at 10:30 in Hogla. Lt. Tom Farkash (23), the Canadian-born gunship pilot who was killed in the same chopper crash, was to be buried at 7 p.m. in the cemetery of Caesaria, where he lived. St.-Sgt. Koby Smileg, 20, of Rehovot, who was killed Monday morning in Bint Jbail when the tank he was in was hit by a Hizbullah anti-tank missile, was to be buried Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Rehovot's cemetery. The funeral of an additional IDF officer, Sec.-Lt. Lotan Slavin, the tank commander, 21, of Hatzeva, who was killed Monday morning in the same tank incident was yet to be announced.