BEIRUT: Hezbollah said its fighters have targeted an Israeli unit with an explosive device near a southern border village on Wednesday, as the Lebanese group clashed with Israeli forces entering Lebanon.
Hezbollah claimed to have targeted an Israeli military unit with an explosive device near the village of Yaroun. “As the Israeli enemy army tried to sneak around the village of Yaroun… (Hezbollah) fighters surprised them by detonating an explosive device,” the group said.
The group reported Israeli casualties, asserting that its fighters ambushed the Israeli troops as they attempted to maneuver around the village.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military confirmed the death of one of its soldiers during combat operations in Lebanon. Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, aged 22, was killed in action, making him the first Israeli military casualty since forces crossed the border to confront Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s operations included claims of clashing with Israeli soldiers who had “infiltrated” southern Lebanese territory. The group also reported forcing Israeli troops to withdraw after an attempted incursion into the village of Adaysseh, located further northeast.
Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif stated that the group is at its highest level of operational readiness, warning that the current confrontations are just the beginning of a more extensive conflict.
“This is just the start of the confrontation. The resistance in the south is at its highest level of readiness,” he told media during a visit of the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army reported that Israeli forces had briefly crossed the demarcation line, known as the Blue Line, entering approximately 400 meters (yards) into Lebanese territory before withdrawing shortly after.
“Israeli enemy forces breached the Blue Line in two areas,” the Lebanese army noted in a post on X.
The Israeli military has called for the evacuation of over 20 villages and towns in southern Lebanon, ordering residents to leave the area as ground operations continue.
