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Two Israeli soldiers killed, 18 wounded in Hezbollah ambush
Israeli media are now reporting two Israeli soldiers have been killed and 18 others wounded in clashes with Hezbollah fighters this morning on the border with Lebanon near the town of Odaisseh.
These were really the first face-to-face clashes since Israel announced its ground offensive on Tuesday.
Israel knows a ground invasion against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is a very different challenge than facing Hamas in Gaza. Hezbollah is a formidable enemy that has trained for this, and has battle-hardened soldiers who fought for many years in Syria.
Hezbollah says clashes ongoing with Israeli troops near border
The Lebanese group says fighting is ongoing with Israeli forces infiltrating the town of Maroun al-Ras from its eastern side. Hezbollah said its fighters had “inflicted several casualties among them”.
Hezbollah says it can push back Israel, has sufficient resources
The head of Hezbollah’s media office, Mohammad Afif, says the group has enough fighters, weapons and ammunition to push back Israel. He was speaking to reporters in an area hit by Israeli raids in southern Lebanon.
“We assure you, the enemy, that this is only the first round,” Afif told reporters in southern Lebanon, adding that the group was ready to “sacrifice our blood and soul for our homeland by the grace of God”.
“What happened in … Maroun al-Ras and other areas, including Odaisseh, was nothing but the tip of the iceberg,” he added. Moreover, Afif said Israel’s air superiority will “turn into losses on the ground”.
Israeli forces crossed ‘Blue Line’: Lebanon army
The Lebanese army says Israeli forces briefly crossed into its territory before withdrawing.
“An Israeli enemy force breached the Blue Line approximately 400 metres into Lebanese territory in the areas of Khirbet Yaroun and Odaisseh, then withdrew after a short period,” the army said on X.
The Blue Line separates Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Israeli military quiet on reported soldier deaths
It is clear there was a deadly incident with Israeli soldiers involving Hezbollah. We understand there are ongoing battles since morning.
There is an Israeli military gag order in place, meaning details are not made public. This is how Israel operates. It informs the family members of the dead soldiers. Then at some point, maybe later in the day, we will get the details.
What we are seeing are videos posted on social media since this morning of helicopters evacuating soldiers. They were flown close to Haifa in northern Israel where many ambulances were waiting.
At the same time, three hospitals in that area had been put on standby.
Israel announces first death of soldier after Lebanon ground offensive
The Israeli army has announced its first combat death since launching ground operations in southern Lebanon this week. It said in a statement that a 22-year-old in a commando brigade was killed.
