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Join on Telegram Rabat – Hezbollah reported intense clashes with Israeli infantry near the town of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, asserting that its fighters successfully repelled an Israeli attempt to infiltrate the area.
Mohammad Afif, head of Hezbollah’s media office, said the group has sufficient resources to counter Israeli forces effectively.
The confrontation marks the first significant face-to-face engagement since Israel’s ground offensive announcement on Tuesday. Israeli forces posted a video on X yesterday saying that it is conducting “limited, localized, and targeted” raids along Israel’s northern borders against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.
Israeli reports indicate that two Israeli soldiers were killed and 18 others wounded in the fighting, which has reportedly spread to the town of Maroun al-Ras.
Hezbollah stated it launched missile strikes targeting areas north of the Israeli port city, adding that its fighters had “inflicted several casualties among them.”
Meanwhile, Israeli forces’ Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, urged residents in 24 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate, warning that any structures used by Hezbollah for military purposes could be targeted.
“Anyone who is near Hezbollah elements, installations, and combat equipment is putting his life at risk,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
The confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel comes after a year of skirmishes alongside the Lebanon-Israel border. However, Israel started escalating attacks last month, mainly concentrated in the south.
Israel has killed over 700 Lebanese civilians in less than a week. Notably, these Israeli attacks in southern Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, an action which has caused Iran to respond in retaliation.
Hezbollah, who is yet to announce a new leader, has vowed retaliation and continuous support for the Palestinian and Lebanese people.
