Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon is off to a rocky start, with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) personnel reporting facing heavy resistance, with both Hezbollah and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) successfully repelling Israeli advances, causing severe casualties and forcing retreats.
The LAF has confirmed that in one instance an Israeli force was able to penetrate 400 meters into Lebanese territory near the Blue Line but withdrew after coming under heavy fire.
Hezbollah reported ambushing Israeli forces attempting to encircle the town of Yaroun, using a special explosive device that killed or wounded all members of the force. The ambush occurred at 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Oct. 2, according to Hezbollah's statement. (Related: Israel begins "targeted" ground invasion of southern Lebanon.)
In Maroun al-Ras, another strategic town near the Israeli border, Hezbollah engaged Israeli forces in intense clashes, inflicting additional casualties and destroying at least three Israeli Merkava tanks using guided rockets.
Video footage emerged of Israeli soldiers, some dead or wounded, being evacuated via helicopter. According to Israeli sources, 14 soldiers were killed by Hezbollah fighters as of Wednesday afternoon, with some reports indicating around 20 others were injured.
Among the Israeli casualties was Capt. Eitan Itzhak Oster, a member of the IDF Ground Forces' elite Egoz unit and confirmed to be the first Israeli soldier killed during the invasion of Lebanon.
IDF: Eight soldiers killed in two clashes with Hezbollah
Israel's military later confirmed that eight soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon, marking the deadliest losses on this front in the past year of border clashes. The soldiers died in two separate firefights. At least seven other soldiers were reportedly seriously wounded in these incidents, and many others were injured.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the losses in a public statement, describing the situation as part of a "difficult war against Iran's Axis of Evil." He vowed that Israel would stand strong and prevail despite the heavy toll.
His comments came amid ongoing rocket fire from Lebanon, as Hezbollah launched about 100 rockets at Israel in an hour on Wednesday evening. The Israeli military claimed that its ground operations in southern Lebanon aimed to push Hezbollah back from the border and create conditions for the safe return of tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from northern Israel.
Hezbollah confirmed in its own announcement that its fighters have been clashing with Israeli troops within Lebanon near the border with Israel.
The escalation in Lebanon, coupled with ongoing hostilities in Gaza and brewing tensions in the West Bank, has heightened fears of a wider war involving regional and global powers such as Iran, which actively supports Hezbollah and Hamas, and the United States, which has deployed military assets to the region in support of Israel.
In addition to Israeli military action in Lebanon and Gaza, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians have been displaced as Israeli strikes continue. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported over 1,000 deaths in the country over the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of whom were women and children.
Read more news about ongoing conflicts involving Israel at IsraelCollapse.com.
Watch this news report discussing how Israeli tanks are being destroyed as they enter Lebanon.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
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