Eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ongoing ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that his country is in the “middle of a tough war against Iran’s axis of evil.”
The Israeli Defense Forces announced that Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, 22, Captain Harel Etinger, 23, Captain Itai Ariel Giat, 23, Sergeant First Class Noam Barzilay, 22, Sergeant First Class Or Mantzur, 21, Sergeant First Class Nazaar Itkin, 21, Staff Sergeant Almken Terefe, 21 and Staff Sergeant Ido Broyer, 21 “fell during combat in southern Lebanon.”
“I would like to send my deepest condolences to the families of our heroes who fell today in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said in a video message. “May God avenge their death. May their memory be of blessing.”
“We are in the middle of a tough war against Iran’s axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us. This will not happen — because we will stand together, and with God’s help — we will win together,” Netanyahu added. “We will return our hostages in the south, we will return our residents in the north, we will guarantee the eternity of Israel.”
From left to right: Staff Sergeant Ido Broyer, Staff Sergeant Almken Terefe, Sergeant First Class Or Mantzur, Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster; Bottom: Sergeant First Class Nazar Itkin, Captain Harel Etinger, Sergeant First Class Noam Barzilay, Captain Itai Ariel Giat. (Israel Defense Forces)
Details about the incidents resulting in the deaths of the soldiers were not immediately available.
IDF Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee warned residents of two dozen communities in southern Lebanon to evacuate Wednesday for their own safety.
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Family and friends of Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster speak of their loss at his graveside during his funeral at Mount Hertzl military cemetery on Oct. 2 in Tel Aviv, Israel. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
“Hezbollah’s activities are forcing the IDF to act forcefully against it. The IDF does not intend to harm you, and therefore, for your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives,” he said on X.
“Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations, and combat equipment is putting his life at risk. Any home used by Hezbollah for its military needs is expected to be targeted,” Adraee also said.
Soldiers carry Oster’s coffin during his funeral on Wednesday in Tel Aviv. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)
The Israeli military operation inside Lebanon comes after airstrikes last week killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top members.
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Israeli soldiers raise their fists from a moving APC in northern Israel on Tuesday, Oct. 1. (AP/Baz Ratner)
The IDF says so far, more than 150 “terrorist infrastructure sites” have been destroyed in Lebanon, including Hezbollah weapon storage facilities and rocket launchers.
Fox News’ Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.