IDF announces 8 soldiers killed in Lebanon ground offensive amid withering Hezbollah fire on northern border

Eight Israeli soldiers were killed by Hezbollah terrorists in fierce fighting in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced Wednesday, amid the terror group unleashing a withering bombardment of the border areas, launching close to 300 rockets and drones over the past 24 hours.

Six of the fallen soldiers were part of the Egoz and Yahalom commando units fighting under the 98th Division. They were killed in a single battle.

The fallen soldiers have been identified as Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster (22), a team commander from Modi’in; Cpt. Harel Etinger (23), another team commander, from Eli; Sgt. First Class Noam Barzilay (22) from Kohav Yair; Sgt. First Class Or Mantzur (21) from Beit Aryeh; Sgt. First Class Nazar Itkin (21) from Kiryat Ata; and Cpt. Itai Ariel Giat (23), of the Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit and resident of Shoham.

In the second firefight, two soldiers from the Golani Brigade reconnaissance unit were killed and another seriously wounded. The fallen soldiers have been identified as Staff Sgt. Alemken Terefe (21) from Jerusalem, and Staff Sgt. Ido Broyer (21) from Nes Tziona.

“I wish to extend my deepest condolences to the families of our heroes who fell today in Lebanon. May God avenge them. May their memory be a blessing,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.

The eight deaths on Wednesday morning were the first casualties of Israel's ground incursion into Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers killed around 60 Hezbollah fighters so far, while the Israeli Air Force (IAF) struck around 200 targets in Lebanon over the past day.

“We’re in the heat of a grueling war against Iran's axis of evil, aimed at destroying us. That will not happen, because we shall stand together, and with God's help, we shall emerge victorious together,” Netanyahu added. The prime minister's statement was made amid Israel's celebration of Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year), which began at sundown on Wednesday.

According to Army Radio, Egoz and Yahalom troops encountered Hezbollah terrorists in a face-to-face battle after entering a building in a Lebanese village. Soon after, terrorists began launching anti-tank missiles and grenades toward the Israeli soldiers from all directions.

The IDF then embarked on an operation that sources described as “heroic” to evacuate the dead and wounded via helicopter, amid cloudy and foggy weather in the early morning darkness.

Israeli support troops began a massive bombardment of the village and surrounding area to provide cover and eliminate the terrorists. Artillery and tank fire, as well as airstrikes, eliminated around 30 terrorists during the incident.

On the Israeli side, some 30 soldiers were wounded to varying degrees during the battle, including five who sustained serious injuries.

In the second incident, two soldiers were killed and another seriously wounded when they were struck by an anti-tank missile, while another Golani soldier was also seriously wounded by another anti-tank missile.

The IDF releases footage showing the 36th Division entering Lebanon. Currently two IDF divisions are operating in southern Lebanon, to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure there. pic.twitter.com/2S0qw1pBaJ

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 2, 2024

The IDF had not disclosed the specific areas in southern Lebanon where it was operating until Thursday. However, Hezbollah claims it repelled an Israeli force in the town of Odaisseh, less than one kilometer from the Israeli northern town of Metula, in the first indication of a possible hotspot of fighting.

A second indication came Thursday morning, when the IDF said that its forces were operating in the town of Bint Jbeil, about 4 km (2.5 miles) deep into Lebanese territory, opposite the Israeli towns of Yir’on and Avivim. Soldiers of the 36th Division eliminated around 15 Hezbollah terrorists who were hiding in a municipality building that was being used as a weapons depot.

“The terrorist organization Hezbollah systematically violates international law, exploiting government institutions and civilian structures and using the population as a human shield for terrorist operations in order to harm IDF soldiers and citizens of the State of Israel,” the Israeli military stated.

The IDF says that in the past day, some 60 Hezbollah operatives were killed and more than 200 targets were struck by the Israeli Air Force, amid ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Overnight, some 15 Hezbollah operatives holed up at the town hall of southern Lebanon's Bint… pic.twitter.com/7uHfEHiD32

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) October 3, 2024

After suffering significant setbacks, including the loss of key military leaders and damage to communication devices, Hezbollah had significantly reduced its attacks on Israel for several days. However, since the start of Israel's ground operation, the group has massively ramped up its short-range attacks near the border, likely targeting IDF soldiers engaged in the ground offensive.

On Tuesday alone, some 260 launches from Lebanon were identified, most targeting the areas of Metula and the Upper Galilee, the surroundings of Safed, and Shlomi in the Western Galilee.

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At about 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, the IDF identified two drones off the coast of central Israel and activated air raid sirens in the city of Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.

The army shot down one of the drones, while another fell in an open area, without causing casualties. The Houthi terrorists from Yemen later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Later on Thursday morning, two more drones launched from Lebanon were identified off the coast of Nahariya, with one being shot down and the other falling in open areas.

In addition, Hezbollah launched a 25-rocket barrage at the Upper Galilee, with most being intercepted while others landed in Israeli territory.