Israel sends more ground troops into Lebanon as first combat deaths reported | DW News

The Israeli military says it has committed more soldiers to its ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. It also announced that it had suffered its first losses, reporting that eight of its personnel had died amid clashes with the Iran-backed militia.

Hezbollah said it destroyed three Israeli tanks near the border town of Maroun El Ras, although that claim has not yet been independently verified.

Israel has also continued to attack what it described as Hezbollah targets in Beirut and in southern Lebanon with air strikes.

DW's Beirut Bureau Chief Mohamad Chreyteh visited the Dahihyeh suburb, in the south of the Lebanese capital, where the Israeli military has repeatedly carried out airstrikes on what it says are Hezbollah facilities.

The Israeli government says it wants to prevent the group from firing rockets at northern Israel, an almost daily occurrence amid the conflict in Gaza in recent months, so that thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes near the border.

Hezbollah is regarded as terrorist group by Israel, and many other countries, including Germany, the US, and others.

Lebanon's health minister said at the weekend that more than 1,000 people had been killed in the last two weeks.