The Israeli army announced the death of a squad commander in Lebanon, marking the first Israeli combat fatality inside Lebanon during the current conflict.
Hezbollah reported that at least four Israeli soldiers were killed in border clashes, while Israeli sources told Sky News Arabia that the death toll could be as high as 14.
Israeli Army Radio reported that a medical rescue unit was dispatched to assist soldiers in the field, describing the operation as highly complex.
Earlier, Hezbollah spokesperson Mohammed Afif described a “heroic battle” against Israeli forces that had launched a ground incursion into southern Lebanon, particularly in the villages of Odaisseh and Maroun Al-Ras.
The Lebanese army reported that Israeli forces briefly breached 400 meters into Lebanese territory before withdrawing. A Lebanese soldier was injured in an Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon.
Israel later announced that its combat losses in southern Lebanon had risen to eight soldiers, as fighting with Hezbollah escalated. The Israeli military also warned civilians in approximately 50 villages and towns to evacuate north of the Awali River, far beyond the UN buffer zone established after the 2006 war.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have already fled as the conflict intensifies.
