Lebanon ground offensive

Israeli army mourns first losses

Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster (small picture) was killed in action against Hezbollah.

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

The new war front in Lebanon has already led to the first casualties in the ranks of the Israeli army. At least eight members of a special unit were killed in exchanges of fire between fighters from the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia and Israeli ground troops. The video above shows footage released by the army from the operation area.

According to media reports, the troops were ambushed near a tunnel system. Following this clash in the border town of Odaisseh, which was initially reported by Hezbollah, the Israeli army is mourning the loss of 22-year-old Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster and seven other soldiers who died in a hail of bullets in Odaisseh and other locations in southern Lebanon.

Precision ammunition and close combat operations
According to the Israeli statement, the army continued its targeted operations to eliminate Hezbollah fighters and destroy its military infrastructure in several locations in southern Lebanon. In addition to bombardments with precision munitions, the statement also mentioned close combat operations for the first time. Air strikes had destroyed 150 Hezbollah targets - command centers, weapons depots and rocket launchers.

Hezbollah, on the other hand, spoke of heavy losses inflicted on infiltrating troops. Among other things, an IDF assembly point had been shot at with several rockets. The information could not be independently verified. 

Withdrawn again after a short operation
According to the Lebanese army, the Israeli ground troops violated the demarcation line known as the Blue Line and also advanced about 400 meters into Lebanese territory near the village of Yaroun. The Israeli troops then withdrew again. 

The aim of the Israeli army is to withdraw Hezbollah from the south of Lebanon so that tens of thousands of people can return to northern border towns in Israel and live in safety.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Jalaa MAREY)

Israel is also currently carrying out massive airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. Fighting between Hezbollah and Israel broke out again following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Immediately after the Hamas attack, Hezbollah opened a second front against Israel with regular rocket attacks from Lebanon.

Is Israel attacking Iranian nuclear facilities?
The situation in the Middle East is now escalating on an almost daily basis. On Tuesday, Iran fired almost 200 missiles at Israel. According to the Revolutionary Guards, the Iranian attacks were a reaction to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on Friday. Iran also accuses Israel of killing the head of the radical Islamic Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who rules the Gaza Strip, in Tehran at the end of July.

According to the Israeli army, several air bases were hit and damaged. The government announced retaliatory strikes and could now take action against Iranian nuclear facilities and the country's energy infrastructure.