Fierce Hezbollah-Israel battles erupt in south Lebanon: Israeli forces caught in ambush

Report by Lara El Hachem, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Wednesday night saw the fiercest battles between Hezbollah and the Israeli army at the Qouzah-Ramyeh-Aita al-Shaab axis, during which Israeli forces fell into Hezbollah's ambushes.

As Israeli soldiers attempted to advance, Hezbollah lured them over a long distance into an open area that had already been prepped by Israeli support forces with heavy gunfire. 

Believing they had secured the area, the Israeli forces advanced, only to be surprised by planted explosives and ambushes set by Hezbollah, which then surrounded them.

This confrontation, which included Hezbollah's response, increased the number of injuries among Israeli soldiers. At that point, additional support forces intervened to evacuate the wounded under air cover, deploying thermal balloons for protection.

Due to the intense battles, which lasted more than five hours, Hezbollah fighters attempted to capture Israeli bodies or wounded soldiers. However, the heavy gunfire prevented them from doing so. 

Israeli forces were able to retrieve their dead and wounded and transport them back into Israeli territory, according to field sources.

Meanwhile, there was intense artillery shelling on the Kfarkela-Odaisseh-Rab El Thalathine-Markaba axis. 

Israeli forces tried to secure their soldiers' movements with continuous gunfire and resorted to booby-trapping and destroying houses in the border villages to create a buffer zone free of any landmarks that could pose a threat or suspicion.