Jerusalem:
The Israeli army said on Wednesday that eight soldiers were killed during combat operations in Lebanon, marking the first losses since its forces crossed the border to attack Hezbollah. Earlier today, an Israeli army captain, Eitan Itzhak, was killed, marking the first Israeli combat loss during its ground operations in Lebanon.
“The IDF (Israeli Army) has announced that seven more soldiers have fallen,” it said in a statement after announcing the death of a first soldier in Lebanon earlier in the day.
“Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, 22 years old… fell during fighting in Lebanon,” the army said in a statement.
A military website said Oster was killed on Wednesday, without providing further details.
Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces who had “infiltrated” a southern border village.
The group previously said it had forced Israeli soldiers to withdraw after they tried to enter the border village of Adaysseh, further northeast.
It was the first time the Iran-backed group said fighting was taking place on Lebanese territory since an escalation began in recent weeks, when the Israeli army began storming southern Lebanon and later targeted Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike killed.
“This is just the beginning of the confrontation,” Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif told media during a tour of the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
“The resistance in the south is at the highest level of alert,” he added, referring to Hezbollah fighters.
The Lebanese army also said Israeli forces had briefly crossed the demarcation line between the countries.
“Israeli enemy forces breached the Blue Line by approximately 400 meters (yards) into Lebanese territory in two areas, “and then withdrew a short time later,” X said.
Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli army called for the evacuation of additional areas in southern Lebanon, ordering residents to leave more than 20 villages and towns in southern Lebanon.
The measure came a day after the Israeli military made a similar evacuation call when it announced the start of ground operations.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
