Hezbollah has announced that its fighters had engaged in clashes with Israeli forces that had crossed the border to the south of Lebanon.
According to the Israeli army, at least eight soldiers were killed during the fighting. Wednesday, the Israeli army spokesman confirmed the death of a first soldier during the day, followed by the announcement of seven other losses.
Hezbollah said all members of a unit engaged in the fighting had been killed or injured, without specifying the total number of victims. In a previous statement, the group said that its fighters had exploded a device that killed and injured Israeli soldiers trying to bypass the village of Yaroun.
The group, supported by Iran, also reported having destroyed three Merkava tanks using rockets while they were advancing towards the village of Maroun al-Ras. Al Jazeera could not independently confirm these claims.
Israeli soldiers were killed during two separate events, military officials said. Hezbollah claimed to initiate Israeli forces inside Lebanon for the first time since the start of Israeli earthly advances earlier this week. After monitoring Israeli soldiers hidden in a house near the village of Kfar Kila, Hezbollah fighters exploded the building, followed by gunfire and rockets.
