Israeli military says 5 soldiers killed, 7 wounded in S. Lebanon

JERUSALEM, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday said that five soldiers were killed and seven others wounded during combat in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.
The killed were two officers and three fighters in the Golani Reconnaissance elite unit. Among the seven wounded soldiers, three sustained serious injuries.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that Israeli forces broke into a multi-story building, where they located several tunnel shafts.
The fighters engaged four Hezbollah militants within the building, resulting in a brief exchange of gunfire. Ultimately, the four Hezbollah militants and five Israeli soldiers died in the confrontation.
The IDF noted that since Wednesday, nine Israeli soldiers have been seriously injured in southern Lebanon and Gaza. ■