dpa
Tel Aviv/Beirut
Eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
A further seven soldiers were wounded, some of them seriously, according to the army, citing two separate battles. The army had initially only reported one soldier killed.
The Hezbollah claimed to have destroyed three Israeli battle tanks that had advanced on the Lebanese town of Maroun al-Ras.
There was initially no confirmation of this from Israel.
The claims of both sides could not be independently verified.
Meanwhile, Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Iran would pay for the major missile attack it launched the previous night.
Earlier, Hezbollah reported direct clashes with Israeli ground troops near the Lebanese town of Adaisseh.
The Israelis attempted to penetrate the town directly on the border with Israel, Hezbollah said. Members of the Shiite militia allegedly "fought” with the Israeli forces at dawn and forced them to retreat.
Hezbollah did not provide any information about its possible losses.
According to the Israeli account, the army continued its targeted operations to neutralize Hezbollah fighters and destroy their military infrastructure in several locations in southern Lebanon.
The announcement mentioned, for the first time, close combat operations in addition to bombardments with precision munitions.
Airstrikes have reportedly destroyed 150 Hezbollah targets, including command centres, weapons depots and rocket launch pads.
The Lebanese military said Israeli ground troops crossed the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon set by the United Nations in 2000, known as the Blue Line, for the first time, advancing some 400 metres into Lebanese territory near the village of Yaroun.
It is considered a temporary border as Israel and Lebanon have not yet conclusively negotiated their common border. According to a UN resolution from 2006, Israeli troops must withdraw behind this line.
Beirut and other parts of Lebanon targeted again Israel again attacked the Lebanese capital, hitting what it described as "terrorist targets in Beirut,” according to the army, which did not provide any details.
According to residents, there was a loud bang and plumes of smoke over Choueifat to the south of Beirut, about 15 minutes by car from the airport, the state news agency NNA reported.
Israel’s military also continued its attacks in several places in the south, centre and north-east of the country, including near the coastal city of Tyre and in the town of Nabatiyeh, NNA reported.
In Nabatiyeh alone, there were reportedly 22 dead and 47 injured within 24 hours. Over the course of a day, the Ministry of Health counted a total of 55 dead and more than 150 injured.
Major attack with Iranian missiles The strikes came hours after Iran launched a massive missile attack on Israel, firing around 180 rockets on Tuesday, according to initial estimates by the Israeli army. Iran said it had fired as many as 200.
Three Israeli air bases and the headquarters of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad were the targets, according to Iran.
In a video post on X soon after the attack, Netanyahu said, "Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it.” The New York Times reported, citing US officials, that in a possible scenario, Israel could attack Iranian nuclear facilities. In particular, the enrichment facilities in Natanz, the heart of Iran’s programme, could be
targeted.