Israel says 8 troops killed amid ground incursion into Lebanon

Israel’s crushed incursion into Lebanon to conflict Hezbollah militants near 8 Israeli soldiers dormant Wednesday, while nan region braced for further escalation arsenic Israel vowed to retaliate for Iran’s ballistic rocket onslaught a time earlier.

The Israeli subject said 7 soldiers were killed successful 2 abstracted attacks, without elaborating. Those deaths followed an earlier announcement of nan first Israeli combat decease successful Lebanon since nan commencement of nan incursion — a 22-year-old skipper successful a commando brigade. Another 7 troops, including a combat medic, were wounded.

Together, nan assaults were immoderate of nan deadliest against Israeli forces successful months. The announcements came connected nan eve of Rosh Hashana, nan Jewish caller year.

In Gaza, wherever nan astir yearlong conflict that triggered nan widening conflict rages connected pinch nary extremity successful sight, Israeli crushed and aerial operations successful a hard-hit metropolis killed astatine slightest 51 people, including women and children, Palestinian aesculapian officials said.

Israel has continued to onslaught what it says are militant targets crossed Gaza astir a twelvemonth aft Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught ignited nan conflict.

The escalation connected aggregate fronts has raised fears of a wider conflict successful nan Middle East that could further tie successful Iran — which backs Hezbollah and Hamas — arsenic good arsenic nan United States, which has rushed subject assets to nan region successful support of Israel.

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said an Israeli airstrike deed a residential building successful Damascus Wednesday evening, sidesplitting 3 group and wounding astatine slightest 3 others. An Associated Press journalist astatine nan segment said nan rocket appeared to person targeted nan bottommost level of a four-story flat building.

There was nary contiguous remark from Israel, which often strikes targets linked to Iran aliases allied groups successful Syria, but seldom claims nan strikes.

Hezbollah, wide seen arsenic nan astir powerful equipped group successful nan region, said its fighters fought pinch Israeli troops successful 2 places wrong Lebanon adjacent nan border. The Israeli subject said crushed forces backed by airstrikes had killed militants successful “close-range engagements” without saying where.

Israeli media reported infantry and vessel units operating successful confederate Lebanon aft nan subject sent thousands of further troops and artillery to nan border.

The 2 attacks announced Wednesday followed different assaults connected Israeli forces earlier successful nan year. In June, an detonation successful confederate Gaza killed 8 Israeli soldiers. In January, 21 Israeli troops were killed successful a azygous onslaught by Palestinian militants successful cardinal Gaza. nan deadliest azygous onslaught connected Israeli forces since Israel-Hamas conflict erupted.

Hezbollah besides said it fired surface-to-air missiles astatine an Israeli subject chopper complete Beit Hillel successful bluish Israel adjacent nan border. The group did not opportunity whether nan chopper was hit, and location was nary contiguous remark from nan Israeli military.

The Lebanese service said Israeli forces precocious immoderate 400 meters (yards) crossed nan separator and withdrew “after a short period,” its first confirmation of nan incursion.

The Israeli subject has warned group successful and astir 50 villages and towns to evacuate northbound of nan Awali River, immoderate 60 kilometers (37 miles) from nan separator and overmuch farther than nan bluish separator of a U.N.-declared area intended to service arsenic a buffer betwixt Israel and Hezbollah aft their 2006 war. Hundreds of thousands person already fled their homes.

Israel has said it will proceed striking Hezbollah until it is safe for tens of thousands of its citizens displaced from homes adjacent nan Lebanon separator to return. Hezbollah has vowed to support firing rockets into Israel until location is simply a cease-fire successful Gaza pinch Hamas.

Israeli strikes person killed complete 1,000 group successful Lebanon complete nan past 2 weeks, astir a 4th of them women and children, according to nan Health Ministry.

Meanwhile, Israel lashed retired astatine nan United Nations connected Wednesday, declaring Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata, aliases banned from entering nan country. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused him of failing to unequivocally condemn Tuesday night’s Iranian rocket attack.

Guterres released a little connection aft nan barrage that read: “I condemn nan broadening of nan Middle East conflict, pinch escalation aft escalation. This must stop. We perfectly request a cease-fire.”

The move deepens an already wide rift betwixt Israel and nan United Nations.

The Health Ministry successful Gaza said astatine slightest 51 group were killed and 82 wounded successful nan cognition successful Khan Younis that began early Wednesday. Records astatine nan European Hospital showed 7 women and 12 children, arsenic young arsenic 22 months old, were among those killed.

Another 23 people, including 2 children, were killed successful abstracted strikes crossed Gaza, according to section hospitals.

The Israeli subject did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Residents said Israel had carried retired dense airstrikes arsenic its crushed forces staged an incursion into 3 neighborhoods successful Khan Younis. Mahmoud al-Razd, who had 4 relatives among those killed, described dense demolition and said first responders had struggled to scope destroyed homes.

“The explosions and shelling were massive,” he told The Associated Press. “Many group are thought to beryllium nether nan rubble, and nary 1 tin retrieve them.”

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Israel carried retired a weekslong violative earlier this twelvemonth successful Khan Younis that near overmuch of Gaza’s second-largest metropolis successful ruins. Over nan people of nan war, Israeli forces person many times returned to areas of Gaza arsenic militants person regrouped.

On Oct. 7, Hamas-led militants killed immoderate 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took astir 250 hostage. Some 100 person not yet been released, astir 65 of whom are believed to beryllium alive.

Israel’s retaliatory violative has killed complete 41,000 Palestinians, according to nan Health Ministry, which does not opportunity really galore were fighters but says a small much than half were women and children. The subject says it has killed complete 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Iran launched astatine slightest 180 missiles into Israel connected Tuesday successful what it said was retaliation for a bid of devastating blows Israel has landed successful caller weeks against Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel since nan conflict successful Gaza began successful solidarity pinch Hamas.

Israelis scrambled for explosive shelters arsenic air-raid sirens sounded and nan orangish glow of missiles streaked crossed nan nighttime sky.

The Israeli subject said it intercepted galore of nan incoming Iranian missiles, though immoderate landed successful cardinal and confederate Israel and 2 group were lightly wounded by shrapnel.

Several missiles landed successful nan Israeli-occupied West Bank, wherever 1 of them killed a Palestinian worker from Gaza who had been stranded successful nan territory since nan conflict collapsed out.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate, saying Iran “made a large correction coming and it will salary for it.”

U.S. President Joe Biden said his management is “fully supportive” of Israel and that he’s discussing pinch aides what nan due consequence should be.

However, Biden said he wouldn’t support a onslaught connected Iranian atomic sites as Israel promises consequence to ballistic rocket attack.

“The reply is no,” Biden said successful an speech pinch reporters erstwhile asked if he would support specified retaliation aft Iran fired astir 180 missiles into Israel.

Biden’s comments came aft he and chap Group of Seven leaders said complete nan telephone connected Wednesday to talk coordinating caller sanctions against Iran.

He besides reiterated nan United States’ “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people.”

Iran said it would respond to immoderate usurpation of its sovereignty pinch moreover heavier strikes connected Israeli infrastructure.

Iran said it fired Tuesday’s missiles arsenic retaliation for attacks that killed leaders of Hezbollah, Hamas and its ain paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. It referenced Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Guard Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, some killed successful an Israeli airstrike past week successful Beirut. It besides mentioned Ismail Haniyeh, a apical leader successful Hamas who was assassinated successful Tehran successful a suspected Israeli onslaught successful July.

— pinch files from Colleen Long and Aamer Madhani

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Wafaa Shurafa successful Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Jack Jeffrey successful Jerusalem and Melanie Lidman successful Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.