Israel says 8 troops killed amid ground incursion into Lebanon

Israel’s crushed incursion into Lebanon to conflict Hezbollah militants near 8 Israeli soldiers dormant Wednesday, portion the portion braced for further escalation arsenic Israel vowed to retaliate for Iran’s ballistic rocket onslaught a time earlier.

The Israeli subject said 7 soldiers were killed successful 2 abstracted attacks, without elaborating. Those deaths followed an earlier announcement of the archetypal Israeli combat decease successful Lebanon since the commencement of the incursion — a 22-year-old skipper successful a commando brigade. Another 7 troops, including a combat medic, were wounded.

Together, the assaults were immoderate of the deadliest against Israeli forces successful months. The announcements came connected the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish caller year.

In Gaza, wherever the astir yearlong struggle that triggered the widening struggle rages connected with nary extremity successful sight, Israeli crushed and aerial operations successful a hard-hit metropolis killed astatine slightest 51 people, including women and children, Palestinian aesculapian officials said.

Israel has continued to onslaught what it says are militant targets crossed Gaza astir a twelvemonth aft Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught ignited the conflict.

The escalation connected aggregate fronts has raised fears of a wider struggle successful the Middle East that could further gully successful Iran — which backs Hezbollah and Hamas — arsenic good arsenic the United States, which has rushed subject assets to the portion successful enactment of Israel.

Syria’s state-run SANA quality bureau said an Israeli airstrike deed a residential gathering successful Damascus Wednesday evening, sidesplitting 3 radical and wounding astatine slightest 3 others. An Associated Press writer astatine the country said the rocket appeared to person targeted the bottommost level of a four-story flat building.

There was nary contiguous remark from Israel, which often strikes targets linked to Iran oregon allied groups successful Syria, but seldom claims the strikes.

Hezbollah, wide seen arsenic the astir almighty equipped radical successful the region, said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops successful 2 places wrong Lebanon adjacent the border. The Israeli subject said crushed forces backed by airstrikes had killed militants successful “close-range engagements” without saying where.

Israeli media reported infantry and vessel units operating successful confederate Lebanon aft the subject sent thousands of further troops and artillery to the border.

The 2 attacks announced Wednesday followed different assaults connected Israeli forces earlier successful the year. In June, an detonation successful confederate Gaza killed 8 Israeli soldiers. In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed successful a azygous onslaught by Palestinian militants successful cardinal Gaza. the deadliest azygous onslaught connected Israeli forces since Israel-Hamas struggle erupted.

Hezbollah besides said it fired surface-to-air missiles astatine an Israeli subject chopper implicit Beit Hillel successful bluish Israel adjacent the border. The radical did not accidental whether the chopper was hit, and determination was nary contiguous remark from the Israeli military.

The Lebanese service said Israeli forces precocious immoderate 400 meters (yards) crossed the borderline and withdrew “after a abbreviated period,” its archetypal confirmation of the incursion.

The Israeli subject has warned radical successful and astir 50 villages and towns to evacuate northbound of the Awali River, immoderate 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the borderline and overmuch farther than the bluish borderline of a U.N.-declared portion intended to service arsenic a buffer betwixt Israel and Hezbollah aft their 2006 war. Hundreds of thousands person already fled their homes.

Israel has said it volition proceed striking Hezbollah until it is harmless for tens of thousands of its citizens displaced from homes adjacent the Lebanon borderline to return. Hezbollah has vowed to support firing rockets into Israel until determination is simply a cease-fire successful Gaza with Hamas.

Israeli strikes person killed implicit 1,000 radical successful Lebanon implicit the past 2 weeks, astir a 4th of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, Israel lashed retired astatine the United Nations connected Wednesday, declaring Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata, oregon banned from entering the country. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused him of failing to unequivocally condemn Tuesday night’s Iranian rocket attack.

Guterres released a little connection aft the barrage that read: “I condemn the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation aft escalation. This indispensable stop. We perfectly request a cease-fire.”

The determination deepens an already wide rift betwixt Israel and the United Nations.

The Health Ministry successful Gaza said astatine slightest 51 radical were killed and 82 wounded successful the cognition successful Khan Younis that began aboriginal Wednesday. Records astatine the European Hospital showed 7 women and 12 children, arsenic young arsenic 22 months old, were among those killed.

Another 23 people, including 2 children, were killed successful abstracted strikes crossed Gaza, according to section hospitals.

The Israeli subject did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Residents said Israel had carried retired dense airstrikes arsenic its crushed forces staged an incursion into 3 neighborhoods successful Khan Younis. Mahmoud al-Razd, who had 4 relatives among those killed, described dense demolition and said archetypal responders had struggled to scope destroyed homes.

“The explosions and shelling were massive,” helium told The Associated Press. “Many radical are thought to beryllium nether the rubble, and nary 1 tin retrieve them.”

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Israel carried retired a weekslong violative earlier this twelvemonth successful Khan Younis that near overmuch of Gaza’s second-largest metropolis successful ruins. Over the people of the war, Israeli forces person repeatedly returned to areas of Gaza arsenic militants person regrouped.

On Oct. 7, Hamas-led militants killed immoderate 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took astir 250 hostage. Some 100 person not yet been released, astir 65 of whom are believed to beryllium alive.

Israel’s retaliatory violative has killed implicit 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry, which does not accidental however galore were fighters but says a small much than fractional were women and children. The subject says it has killed implicit 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Iran launched astatine slightest 180 missiles into Israel connected Tuesday successful what it said was retaliation for a bid of devastating blows Israel has landed successful caller weeks against Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since the struggle successful Gaza began successful solidarity with Hamas.

Israelis scrambled for weaponry shelters arsenic air-raid sirens sounded and the orangish glow of missiles streaked crossed the nighttime sky.

The Israeli subject said it intercepted galore of the incoming Iranian missiles, though immoderate landed successful cardinal and confederate Israel and 2 radical were lightly wounded by shrapnel.

Several missiles landed successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank, wherever 1 of them killed a Palestinian idiosyncratic from Gaza who had been stranded successful the territory since the struggle broke out.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate, saying Iran “made a large mistake contiguous and it volition wage for it.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said his medication is “fully supportive” of Israel and that he’s discussing with aides what the due effect should be.

However, Biden said helium wouldn’t enactment a onslaught connected Iranian atomic sites as Israel promises effect to ballistic rocket attack.

“The reply is no,” Biden said successful an speech with reporters erstwhile asked if helium would enactment specified retaliation aft Iran fired astir 180 missiles into Israel.

Biden’s comments came aft helium and chap Group of Seven leaders spoke implicit the telephone connected Wednesday to sermon coordinating caller sanctions against Iran.

He besides reiterated the United States’ “full solidarity and enactment to Israel and its people.”

Iran said it would respond to immoderate usurpation of its sovereignty with adjacent heavier strikes connected Israeli infrastructure.

Iran said it fired Tuesday’s missiles arsenic retaliation for attacks that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and its ain paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. It referenced Hezbollah person Hassan Nasrallah and Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, some killed successful an Israeli airstrike past week successful Beirut. It besides mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a apical person successful Hamas who was assassinated successful Tehran successful a suspected Israeli onslaught successful July.

— with files from Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Wafaa Shurafa successful Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Jack Jeffrey successful Jerusalem and Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.