Israel reports 8 combat deaths as troops battle Hezbollah in Lebanon and fears of a wider war mount

By Kareem Chehayeb and Samy Magdy

Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon to battle Hezbollah militants left eight Israeli soldiers dead Wednesday, while the region braced for further escalation as Israel vowed to retaliate for Iran’s ballistic missile attack a day earlier.

The Israeli military said seven soldiers were killed in two separate attacks, without elaborating. Those deaths followed an earlier announcement of the first Israeli combat death in Lebanon since the start of the incursion — a 22-year-old captain in a commando brigade. Another seven troops, including a combat medic, were wounded.

Together, the assaults were some of the deadliest against Israeli forces in months. The announcements came on the eve of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year.

In Gaza, where the nearly yearlong war that triggered the widening conflict rages with no end in sight, Israeli ground and air operations in a hard-hit city killed at least 51 people, including women and children, Palestinian medical officials