At least six Israeli soldiers killed in Lebanon during clashes with Hezbollah

At least six Israeli soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday during clashes with Hezbollah fighters, according to the Israeli military.

Another soldier was severely wounded after the Israelis stormed a building they had bombed earlier and thought was empty. Upon entering the building, they were met with an ambush by Hezbollah fighters, reports suggested.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah said they had killed at least 100 Israeli soldiers since they launched their invasion of Lebanon last month. The Lebanese group also claimed to have wounded at least 1,000 other Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah has not released any numbers or details on fighters killed since the invasion started, but estimates range from hundreds to over 1,000.

Cross-border fighting broke out in October 2024 after Hezbollah began lobbing rockets at Israel as part of what they say is a campaign to support Gaza, which has been destroyed by Israeli bombardment. The Israeli campaign was in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel that led to at least 1,200 Israeli deaths.

Brett Holmgren, the acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, said Tuesday that the US assessed Hezbollah’s capabilities had been significantly degraded, but their ground forces along the border with Israel remain largely intact.

Holmgren also said Hezbollah still had the ability to conduct attacks abroad.

“[Hezbollah] remains down, but far from out,” he said.