Israel launches military operations in Lebanon, resulting in two soldier fatalities

Two Israeli soldiers have been confirmed dead in southern Lebanon, marking the country’s first fatalities in the region since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed last week. According to the Israeli military, Master Sergeant Maher Khatar, 38, from Majdal Shams, died during combat on Sunday along with a second unidentified soldier.

The incident occurred as part of an escalation in the conflict, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 394 people in Lebanon since fighting resumed, including 83 children, 42 women, and nine rescue workers. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported that at least four people were killed and 10 wounded in a drone strike on a hotel room in Raouche, a seafront neighborhood in Beirut.

Israel claimed the attack targeted senior commanders of Iran’s elite Quds Force, stating that they operated to advance terror attacks against Israel. The Israeli military has also been conducting air assaults across southern Lebanon, east, and Beirut’s southern suburbs, while ground forces have been pushing into southern Lebanon, seizing hilltops near the border.

Hezbollah has continued launching rockets and drones into northern Israel daily, with reports of clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters near the border town of Aitaroun on Sunday. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that the conflict could produce “unprecedented” humanitarian and political consequences due to the scale of displacement.

Source: Al Jazeera