Israeli army confirms deaths of 5 officers in southern Lebanon

By Said Amori

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army confirmed on Thursday that five of its officers were killed and six soldiers seriously wounded during battles in southern Lebanon.

In a statement, the army – facing accusations of concealing the true extent of its losses – said four reserve officers were killed during the clashes.

It added that six other soldiers sustained severe injuries without specifying their ranks.

The army confirmed that two of the deceased were sergeants first class, while the other two held the rank of sergeant, all serving in Battalion 222 of the Carmeli Brigade.

Later, the army issued another statement confirming that a reserve officer with the rank of sergeant first class from the Oketz Unit was killed.

The statement added that the total number of Israeli military personnel killed since Oct. 7, 2023 has risen to 757, with 5,065 others injured across Gaza, the West Bank, and the northern front with Lebanon.

It said 752 of the injuries were classified as serious.

Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon on Oct. 1 after ramping up airstrikes late last month that have killed hundreds of people, destroyed homes and displaced more than 1 million. Cross-border warfare between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continued since the Gaza war last October.