Both Hezbollah and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed having fought pitched battles on Wednesday, a day after Israel launched ground operations in Lebanon. While IDF maintains that its "ground incursions" remain limited, targeting Hezbollah pockets, infantry and armoured units were pushed to further support the commando squads, reports said.
But where is the ground fighting happening between Hezbollah and the IDF? The first confirmation today regarding ground battles between the rival sides came from the Lebanese town of Maroun al-Ras. Located just about two kilometres from the Israel-Lebanon border, IDF tried to infiltrate Maroun al-Ras -- only to face stiff resistance from Hezbollah fighters who stood ready. Having successfully repelled an infantry unit from penatrating its defence lines earlier, Hezbollah took Israeli soldiers head-on while trying to make inroads through the east of Maroun al-Ras, the Iran-backed group claimed. The battle lasted for over an hour, BBC reported, but there was no clear indication of its outcome.
Meanwhile, Israel confirmed the identity of its first fallen soldier after the ground offensive began. The late trooper was identified as 22-year-old Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, a team commander in the Egoz Commando Unit. A brief while later, Hezbollah claimed to have inflicted further casualties on IDF units which were trying to to encircle the village of Yaroun. Located in southern Lebanon, the Israeli soldiers were ambushed using an explosive device by their men, Hezbollah claimed, saying that "all members of the force" involved in the op were hit.
The incident, however, was not acknowledged by the Israeli military leadership, BBC added.
Israel-Hezbollah war: Latest news
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel, telling the Security Council the "deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop. "Time is running out," he told the council.The 15-member council met after Israel killed the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah and began a ground assault against the Iran-backed militant group and Iran attacked Israel in a strike that raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
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Tel Aviv, meanwhile, barred Guterres from entering the country. Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz declared Guterres persona non grata and banned him from the country for his failure to "unequivocally condemn" Iran's attack.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Katz was quoted as saying by the Haaretz.