Death of 1st soldier in Lebanon ground combat announced by Israel army

Beirut: The Israeli military reported that it lost its first soldier since crossing the border to attack Hezbollah on Wednesday, during combat operations in Lebanon.

"Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, aged 22... fell during combat in Lebanon," the military said in a statement.

Oster was killed on Wednesday, according to a military website, but no other information was provided.

Hezbollah said that its forces were fighting with Israeli troops who had "infiltrated" a southern border community. The group previously stated that it forced Israeli soldiers to withdraw after attempting to enter the border village of Adaysseh, located farther northeast.

It was the first time the Iran-backed group claimed there was fighting on Lebanese land since the Israeli army began bombarding south Lebanon and later murdered Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike, AFP reported.

"This is just the start of the confrontation," Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif told media on a tour in the Lebanese capital's southern suburbs.

"The resistance in the south is at its highest level of readiness," he added, referring to Hezbollah fighters.

Additionally, the Lebanese army said that Israeli forces had briefly crossed the demarcation line between the two nations.

"Israeli enemy forces breached the Blue Line by approximately 400 metres (yards) into Lebanese territory" in two areas, "then withdrew a short time later", it said on X.

The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of more areas of southern Lebanon earlier on Wednesday, urging locals to evacuate more than 20 villages and towns in the region.

The Israeli military had declared the start of ground operations the day before, and had issued a similar call for evacuation.