Israel has reported the deaths of eight soldiers on Wednesday in a series of clashes with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two sides. According to the Israeli military, the casualties occurred during intense combat in several villages near the southern border.
Five of the soldiers were members of an elite commando unit, who were killed during a gunfight with Hezbollah operatives. In addition, five other commandos were seriously wounded in the skirmish, which took place in one of the villages. Furthermore, one soldier from the engineering corps and two reconnaissance unit members were also killed during the clashes, the Times of Israel reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed to have killed a “large number” of Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, reporting that the deaths occurred in three different villages. The Lebanese militia, an ally of Iran, has been engaged in frequent skirmishes with Israeli forces, supporting Hamas in its fight against Israel from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly addressed the losses in a video message, expressing condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and vowing that Israel would prevail in its fight.
“We are in the middle of a tough war against Iran’s axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us. This will not happen — because we will stand together, and with God’s help — we will win together,” Netanyahu declared in his statement.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also issued a separate statement, noting the sacrifices being made. “Ensuring the continuation of our life in our country involves paying a heavy blood price,” Gallant said, acknowledging the costs of the conflict.
These deaths represent the first significant military casualties for Israel since it launched its ground invasion into southern Lebanon earlier this week. The ground offensive is the largest between Israel and Hezbollah since the 2006 war, which ended partly due to the high number of Israeli troop casualties, with 121 soldiers killed in that conflict.
The ground operations in Lebanon follow weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across the country. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, including Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top officials. Hezbollah has been fighting Israeli forces at the border in support of Hamas.
Israel has stated that the primary objective of its military actions in Lebanon is to push Hezbollah back from the border and create a safe environment for displaced settlers to return to the area. However, Iran, a key backer of Hezbollah, launched a barrage of nearly 200 missiles toward Israel on Tuesday in response to Israel’s military actions.
In response to the missile attack, Israeli military chief, Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi, issued a warning to Israel’s enemies. “We will respond. We can locate important targets and we can hit them precisely and powerfully. We have the capability to reach and strike every location in the Middle East and those of our enemies who have not yet understood this, will understand this soon,” Halevi said in a video message on Wednesday.
With the conflict intensifying, both Israel and its key ally, the United States, have vowed severe consequences for Iran’s actions, raising fears that the clashes could escalate into a broader regional conflict.
