Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon

The Israeli military says eight of its soldiers have been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon. These are the first losses since the start of the ground offensive against the armed group Hezbollah.

Iran-backed Hezbollah said it had destroyed Israeli tanks during the fighting and insisted it had enough men and ammunition to push back the forces.

Earlier, the Israeli military announced that additional infantry and armored troops had joined the operation aimed at dismantling so-called “terrorist infrastructure” in Lebanese border villages.

Meanwhile, an Israeli military airstrike in the Bachoura area of ​​central Beirut left at least five people dead and eight injured, Lebanese officials said.

The attacked multi-story building housed a Hezbollah-affiliated health center and is located just meters from the Lebanese Parliament and the United Nations regional headquarters.

This is the first Israeli attack so close to central Beirut, with other attacks occurring overnight in the southern suburb of Dahieh.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said on Wednesday evening that 46 people had been killed and 85 injured in Israeli attacks on the country in the past 24 hours, without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.

Lebanese authorities say Hezbollah is weakened after two weeks of Israeli attacks and other attacks that killed more than 1,200 people and displaced about 1.2 million across Lebanon.

After nearly a year of cross-border hostilities sparked by the war in Gaza, Israel has gone on the offensive, saying it wants to ensure the safe return of residents of border areas displaced by Hezbollah attacks.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist political, military and social organization that wields considerable power in Lebanon. It is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the USA, Great Britain and other countries.

Israeli troops encountered Hezbollah fighters for the first time on the second full day of their ground invasion of Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Wednesday that aircraft-supported soldiers had “eliminate terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure through precision-guided munitions and close combat operations” in several southern Lebanese areas.

The IDF later announced that eight soldiers had been killed in combat. Most were commandos from the elite reconnaissance units Egoz and Golani.

Six were reportedly ambushed by Hezbollah fighters and two others were killed by mortar fire.

Hezbollah said dozens of its fighters fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli commandos, killing and wounding dozens of them, in clashes early Wednesday in a border village.

It was also claimed that other troops on the outskirts of Kafr Kila were attacked with explosives and gunfire and that three Israeli Merkava tanks were destroyed by rockets near Maroun al-Ras.

Hezbollah has spent years building an infrastructure in southern Lebanon that includes extensive underground tunnels. There are also thousands of fighters who know the area well.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paid tribute to the eight soldiers, saying they fell “in the midst of a tough war against the axis of evil in Iran that wants to destroy us.”

“That will not happen because we will stand together and win together with God’s help,” he added.

Israeli air defenses were also back in action, a day after they repelled the vast majority of the more than 180 ballistic missiles that Iran fired into Israel on Tuesday evening in retaliation for the Israeli airstrike in Beirut last Friday, in which Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah and another top Iranian commander were killed.

According to the IDF, more than 240 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel over the course of Wednesday.

Netanyahu insists the ground offensive in Lebanon will weaken Hezbollah's ability and push back its fighters, ultimately allowing some 60,000 Israelis to return to their homes near the border.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said this He did not support Israeli retaliation against Iranian nuclear facilities. He added that the US “will discuss with the Israelis what they will do in response to the Iranian bombardment.”

The overnight airstrikes in Beirut followed heavy attacks in Dahieh, Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs, the night before, after the IDF issued multiple evacuation orders for areas around buildings it said were in contact with the group are connected.

On Wednesday morning a BBC team was taken there on a media tour organized by Hezbollah to show the recent destruction.

Once a bustling area, Dahieh now looks like a ghost town. Shops have closed, streets are deserted and most residents have left the country.

One of the locations on the tour was the headquarters of Sirat TV, which was hit on Monday. It was leveled and surrounding buildings were heavily damaged, an indication of the strength of the attack.

Smoke still rose from the rubble and a heavy smell hung in the air, while the sound of Israeli drones could be heard overhead.

There were several posters with Hassan Nasrallah's face. One said, “None of our banners shall fall.”

Hezbollah says Israel attacked civilian buildings, not those used for military purposes. Israel accused the group of hiding weapons and ammunition in residential areas.

U.S. and Israeli officials believe half of Hezbollah's arsenal has been destroyed and its leadership dismantled.

But Mohammed Afif, a spokesman for Hezbollah, remained defiant.

“I can say that the resistance is quickly regaining strength,” he told the BBC. “The resistance’s leadership is good, its command and control structure is good and its missile supply is good.”

“God willing, we will inflict defeat on the Israeli enemy if he dares to invade Lebanon.”

In addition to Dahieh, many people have fled from two other regions where Hezbollah has a strong presence – the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Martyrs' Square in Beirut has become a place where dozens of families have gathered with nowhere to go.

Some tents have been set up near concrete walls, but many sleep on the steps of the nearby Mohammad al-Amin Mosque or on mattresses on the floor.

Mohammed, 55, arrived five days ago with his wife, son and seven grandchildren. They tried to move into an emergency shelter, he said, but couldn't find a place.

“We can’t go anywhere,” he said. Thanks to donations they were able to eat. But they fight without diapers, milk and medication.

Next to him, 26-year-old Mohammed arrived with his three children.

He said he worked in Dahieh but lost his job because all the shops there were closed. “There is no work,” he said.