Seven Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon: reports

At least seven Israeli soldiers have reportedly been killed during Israel's ongoing ground offensive in Lebanon, following a cross-border incursion into the southern region of the country.

According to unnamed Israeli sources cited by Sky News Arabia, the casualties occurred during intense clashes with Hezbollah fighters, which have also resulted in numerous injuries among the Israeli forces.

Israeli Army Radio reported that a commando unit encountered Hezbollah fighters in a southern Lebanese village, triggering a response from medical teams to aid the wounded Israeli soldiers.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army confirmed that one of its soldiers had been killed in combat in Lebanon. However, a subsequent statement raised the death toll to eight, as the military acknowledged more losses.

Israel has been known to underreport casualties in combat situations, often releasing lower death tolls than what is later revealed.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah issued a statement detailing an ambush near the town of Yaroun, where they claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on Israeli forces attempting to encircle the area.

The group said they used a "special explosive device" to either kill or injure the invading troops.

This escalation follows Israel’s airstrike in southern Beirut on September 27, which resulted in the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, further intensifying the conflict.