Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon have led to the deaths of eight Israeli soldiers and dozens of Hezbollah militants in what is being described as one of the deadliest confrontations in recent months. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), six soldiers from the elite Egoz Commando Unit were killed during a skirmish in a southern Lebanese village, with another two soldiers from the Golani Brigade dying in separate clashes.
The fighting reportedly erupted when the Egoz unit entered a building where Hezbollah militants were stationed. The Lebanese news network Al Mayadeen alleged that Hezbollah carried out a carefully coordinated ambush.
The encounter reportedly sparked a series of exchanges as Hezbollah launched mortars, fired anti-tank missiles, and engaged the soldiers with heavy gunfire. The IDF responded with airstrikes and tank fire, leading to more than 20 Hezbollah fighters being killed according to Israeli military estimates.
Hezbollah forces reportedly targeted the extraction teams with additional mortar fire, wounding several more Israeli troops.
Among the soldiers killed in the fighting were Captain Harel Etinger, Captain Itai Ariel Giat, and Sergeant First Class Noam Barzilay, all from the Egoz Commando Unit. Hezbollah confirmed the skirmishes, claiming that it engaged Israeli forces in close-quarters combat in southern Lebanon.
Israeli airstrikes continued to pound Hezbollah positions across the border, while Hezbollah retaliated with hundreds of rocket launches into Israel.
Recent Israeli airstrikes have reportedly destroyed about 50% of Hezbollah’s missile arsenal, including ballistic and cruise missiles, according to senior U.S. and Israeli officials cited by CNN. The strikes have decimated Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure, severely weakening the group’s operational capacity.
“The most important thing that we did was to take out about half of the missile and rocket capability built up over the last 30 years with Iran’s support,” a senior Israeli official stated. However, experts caution that Hezbollah still retains part of its arsenal, including potentially more advanced long-range ballistic and cruise missiles.
