The Israeli military reported that eight soldiers lost their lives during combat operations in Lebanon on Wednesday, marking the first casualties since Israeli forces crossed the border to engage Hezbollah. Earlier in the day, an Israeli army captain, Eitan Itzhak Oster, was killed in action, representing the first Israeli combat fatality in the ongoing ground operations in Lebanon.
“The IDF (Israeli army) announced that seven more soldiers have fallen,” the military stated following the announcement of the first soldier’s death.
“Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, aged 22… fell during combat in Lebanon,” the military confirmed.
According to a military website, Oster was killed on Wednesday, but no additional details were provided.
Hezbollah reported ongoing clashes with Israeli troops who had “infiltrated” a southern border village. The group claimed it successfully forced Israeli soldiers to retreat after they attempted to enter the border village of Adaysseh, located further northeast.
This marked the first instance of fighting on Lebanese soil since the recent escalation began when the Israeli army intensified its bombardment of southern Lebanon, culminating in the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike.
“This is just the start of the confrontation,” Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif told reporters during a tour of the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital. “The resistance in the south is at its highest level of readiness,” he added, referring to Hezbollah fighters.
The Lebanese army also reported that Israeli forces had briefly crossed the demarcation line between the two countries. “Israeli enemy forces breached the Blue Line by approximately 400 metres (yards) into Lebanese territory” in two areas, “then withdrew a short time later,” it stated on X.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli army called for the evacuation of more areas in southern Lebanon, urging residents to leave over 20 villages and towns in the region. This followed a similar evacuation request made by the Israeli military a day earlier as it announced the commencement of ground operations.