Hezbollah claims tank ambush killed Israeli troops in south Lebanon

Hezbollah on Friday claimed its fighters destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks and killed several soldiers in a coordinated ambush in southern Lebanon, as the Israeli military confirmed the deaths of four troops including an armored battalion commander. The Lebanese resistance group said its fighters monitored an Israeli force comprising an armored platoon and infantry unit advancing toward the northern side of Ali al-Taher Heights. The fighters lured the unit into what it described as a "kill zone," striking the tanks with guided missiles and setting them ablaze before launching intensive rocket and artillery attacks.

Israeli losses and evacuation attempt

The group said clashes continued after the ambush and claimed that a subsequent Israeli force attempting to evacuate dead and wounded soldiers under heavy smoke cover was also targeted with rocket volleys and mortar shells, alleging direct hits. The Israeli army acknowledged earlier that four soldiers, including an armored battalion commander from the Givati Brigade, were killed shortly after midnight when their tank was hit near the village of Manteef while operating with a combat force.

Civilian toll and displacement

There was no independent confirmation of Hezbollah's claims regarding additional Israeli casualties or damage, as Israel maintains strict restrictions on reporting military losses. Lebanon's National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes launched extensive dawn airstrikes on residential homes in Al-Sharqiyah, Harouf and Kfar Sir in the Nabatieh district, killing 24 people and leaving several missing.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israel's military offensive in Lebanon since March 2 has killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others and displaced more than one million residents. Israeli forces have advanced more than 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory despite reports of a US-Iran agreement aimed at ending hostilities.