Eight Israel soldiers dead as Hezbollah claims to repel incursion
The Hindu
Israel-Hezbollah war: Hezbollah says it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon as Israel reports eight soldiers were killed
Hezbollah said it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) as Israel reported eight soldiers were killed — its first losses since launching cross-border raids this week.
The clashes came hours after Iran launched its largest missile attack yet on Israel, its sworn enemy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran would pay for its “big mistake”.
Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon: Follow live updates
Iran, which backs Hezbollah, said it would step up its response if Israel retaliates, defying calls for de-escalation in a war that has cost more than 1,000 lives in Lebanon.
U.S. President Joe Biden ruled out supporting an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian again warned of a “stronger” response, though he stressed Iran was “not looking for war”.
Israel, shifting its focus from the Gaza war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attacks, is now trying to secure its border with Lebanon so tens of thousands Israelis displaced by nearly a year of exchanges of fire with Hezbollah can return home.
A day after its military said it was conducting “targeted ground raids” in south Lebanon, Israel reported the first death of a soldier in the Israel-Hezbollah war, a toll that later rose to eight dead.