A 22-year-old Israeli commando, Capt. Eitan Itzhak Oster, from the elite Egoz Commando Unit, has been killed in combat with Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon, Israel’s military confirmed on Wednesday.
Oster’s death marks the first official Israeli military fatality since the country launched its ground invasion into Lebanon earlier this week.
While details surrounding Oster’s death remain undisclosed, reports from ‘The Times of London’ suggest that an unknown number of Israeli troops were ambushed near Hezbollah tunnels in the village of Odaisseh. It is unclear whether Oster was among those casualties.
One survivor from the ambush reported that everyone in his unit had been injured, but they managed to retreat.
Hezbollah has confirmed ongoing battles with Israeli forces in the border town of Maroun el-Ras, marking the first direct ground clashes between the two sides since the Israeli incursion. The Iran-backed militant group also claimed responsibility for firing rockets at military posts inside Israel.
Hezbollah’s media chief, Mohammad Afif, warned that these clashes were just “the first round,” stating the group has sufficient fighters, weapons, and ammunition to continue resisting Israeli advances.
In response, Israel’s military is ramping up its forces by deploying regular infantry and armoured units to join the ground operations in Lebanon, just a day after Iran launched ballistic missile attacks on Israel.
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