8 Israeli soldiers are killed during fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon

2024-10-02 19:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Israeli military announced late Wednesday that eight Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting against the Hezbollah militant group inside Lebanon.

Israeli forces launched a ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning, further escalating tensions.

In a comforting video, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We are at the height of a difficult war against Iran's Axis of Evil, which wants to destroy us."

"This will not happen, because we will stand together, and with God's help, we will win together," Netanyahu said.

Hezbollah is both a militant group and a political party, which controls most of southern Lebanon and is supported by Iran.

It has been declared a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing, but not its political party. The Hezbollah political party has seats in the Lebanese Parliament.

Hezbollah said its fighters were fighting Israeli forces inside Lebanon on Wednesday. This was the first time the group has reported fighting since Israeli forces crossed the border.

Israel's military said regular infantry and armored units were joining ground operations in Lebanon, a day after Iran fired about 200 missiles at Israel, fueling fears that the Middle East is heading for a wider conflict.

Iran said on Wednesday that its missile attack - the biggest ever against Israel - was over unless there were further provocations, but Israel and the United States have vowed to respond strongly.

More than 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon during almost a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, but most of them have been killed in just the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.

Lebanon's interim prime minister, Najib Mikati, said about 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced as a result of the Israeli attacks.

Netanyahu has said that Israel will continue to fight the threat from Hezbollah and ensure the safe return of displaced Israelis from their homes on the border with Lebanon.

The United Nations and the European Union repeated calls for a ceasefire, while the UN Security Council is expected to meet today to discuss the issue./REL