JERUSALEM, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army confirmed
that 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah in south Lebanon
on Wednesday.
 |
| Israeli troops transport
injured soldiers to be evacuated from the Israel-Lebanon border, August 9,
2006. (Retuers Photo) |
A
total of 15 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops were killed in fierce fighting
with Lebanese Hezbollah guerillas in south Lebanon, the IDF announced late
Wednesday night.
It is the highest casualties in a singe day since the
Israel-Hezbollah violence was erupted on July 12 when Hezbollah guerrillas
abducted two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others during cross-border
attacks.
The IDF troops were engaged in fierce fighting
Wednesday with Hezbollah guerillas in the southern Lebanon villages of Ayta
al-Shaab and Dibel, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz quoted the army as saying.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hezbollah fired an anti-tank
missile at an IDF tank, killed members of the tank crew, the report said.
In another incident, a missile was fired at a
structure in the village of Dbil in the western sector of south Lebanon,
destroying part of the building and killing nine soldiers.
According to the Israeli army, the Shiite Hezbollah
guerillas were equipped with anti-tank missiles, which have previously caused
losses among the IDF troops in the area.
Meanwhile, 10 IDF soldiers were reported injured in
the battle who were evacuated to the hospital in Haifa and in Safed for
treatment.
The fighting, which has raged in the area since
Monday night, continued as the security cabinet met in Jerusalem, approving the
expansion of the IDF's ground offensive in south Lebanon, Ha'aretz said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli security cabinet
gave green light to the Israeli army to widen the ground operations in south
Lebanon. The Israeli troops are to push to the Litani River, about 20 km from
the Israel-Lebanon border, local media reported.
Over 100 Israelis and about 1,000 Lebanese have been killed in the 29-day-old of Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Enditem
