Israeli soldiers killed in first direct clash with Hezbollah in south Lebanon

At least four Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah at the border in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to two Hezbollah sources speaking to Mada Masr.

The group said that its fighters were able to repel an Israeli force during an incursion into Lebanese territory at Odaisseh, in the south, confirming that “they inflicted losses on it and forced it to retreat,” after a night of violent Israeli bombing in Lebanon and Gaza as details of the targets struck during last night’s Iranian missile attack on Israel emerged. 

Several other Israeli military posts and soldiers were targeted by Hezbollah on Tuesday, damaging at least 14 houses, according to the Israeli Army Radio. The Israeli military also announced around 100 missiles were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel today, adding that it had reinforced its military deployment stationed on the northern front with a new division. 

In Beirut, Israel continued to conduct consecutive airstrikes on the southern suburbs of the capital starting from the early hours of Wednesday morning and continuing until midday. Many of the neighborhoods were struck less than an hour after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders to the residents there, in at least eight strikes which took place around 3 am local time.

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Hed: Israeli soldiers killed in first direct clash with Hezbollah in south Lebanon

By: Najih Dawoud, Ali Dawoud, Mourad Higazy, Ahmed Bakr

At least four Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah at the border in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to two Hezbollah sources speaking to Mada Masr.

Hezbollah released a statement on Wednesday saying that its fighters were able to repel an Israeli force during an incursion into Lebanese territory at Odaisseh, in the south, confirming that “they inflicted losses on it and forced it to retreat.” Odaissah is located on the Lebanese side of the border facing the Israeli settlement of Misgav Am.

The second Hezbollah source said that the group’s forces were clashing with Israeli forces in several sites along the border including Yaroun and Maroun al-Ras.

The Lebanese military, meanwhile, released a statement confirming that Israeli forces had crossed the Blue Line 400 meters into Lebanese territory at sites in Yaroun and Odaisseh, before retreating after a short period.

Tuesday’s Israeli incursion came after Israel’s announcement on Monday night that it intended to conduct ground operations in Lebanon, a decision that was denounced by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, which said Israel had also informed it of its intention. UNIFIL, which said it was retaining its presence in the area in a statement on Tuesday, underscored that “any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

A Hezbollah source told Mada Masr on Tuesday that the party is confident in their ability to fend off an Israeli ground invasion.

The exchange of fire over the Lebanese border continued to intensify on Wednesday morning. Hezbollah targeted several Israeli military posts with rocket and artillery fire, including the Shomera Barracks, and Israeli soldiers concentrated in settlements along the border including Shtula, Misgav Am and Kiryat Shmona, with Israeli Army Radio announcing that at least 14 houses in the Metula settlement had been damaged by gunfire from Lebanon. The Occupation military announced around 100 missiles were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel today, Wednesday, adding that it had reinforced its military deployment stationed on the northern front with a new division. 

In Beirut, Israel conducted consecutive airstrikes on the southern suburbs of the capital starting from the early hours of Wednesday morning and continuing until midday. Many of the neighborhoods were struck less than an hour after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders to the residents there, in at least eight strikes which took place around 3 am local time. Residents of specific buildings in Haret Hreik in the Rawous neighborhood were ordered to evacuate, as were others in Choueifat and Shiyah. The Lebanese Health Ministry is yet to announce the number of fatalities caused by the strikes, but a statement from the Lebanese Civil Defense Directorate said they were able to recover seven bodies and transfer 50 wounded people to hospitals between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, details of Tuesday’s Iranian rocket attack on Israel are still coming out, after a night of violent Israeli bombing in Lebanon and Gaza.

The Iranian rockets targeted several Israeli military sites, including the Nevatim Air Base. The rockets also hit another air base, a shopping mall in northern Tel Aviv and other sites in the Israeli capital, a school complex, as well as in Jericho, where a Palestinian was killed in the strike.

The verbal exchange of blows also continued between Iran and Israel on the sideline of the attack. Posting on his official X account, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned that Israel will continue to be targeted. He wrote it in Hebrew, in an apparent response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech addressing Iranian citizens  on Sunday. On the other side, Occupation military spokesperson Daniel Hagari warned that Israel will respond to the Iranian rockets in the right time and place, stressing that there will be a harsh response.

Tuesday’s airstrikes far exceeded the last Iranian rocket attack in April in terms of scale, as it used about 200 ballistic rockets, almost double the number used then. Israeli rescue services said that two people were lightly injured in Tel Aviv during the strike, while more were injured while heading to shelters.

About 10 million Israelis spent their night in shelters across Israeli territories, amid sirens sounding in all Israeli cities and explosions heard in Tel Aviv and occupied Jerusalem. The United States, Jordan and the United Kingdom all supported Israel in intercepting the Iranian missiles.

Amid the accelerated escalation in the region, several countries have begun evacuating their nationals from Lebanon and Israel. About 200 Chinese nationals were evacuated from Lebanon, according to the news agency Xinhua, while Spain sent two military planes to Beirut to evacuate its nationals. For its part, South Korea announced its intention to send two planes to evacuate its nationals in Israel and the Middle East.