Tel Aviv/Beirut, 4 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The Israeli army said on Friday that it has killed around 250 Hezbollah members since the beginning of its ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

"We have succeeded in dealing a heavy blow to Hezbollah," said the Israeli army's spokesman Nadav Shoshani.

He said that five battalion commanders and other commanders of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia were among those killed, adding that 100 Hezbollah members had been killed in close combat and by airstrikes in the last 24 hours alone.

Hezbollah has not confirmed these numbers.

Israel launched a "limited, localized" ground offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday. Since then, eight of its soldiers have died, according to earlier statements by the Israeli army.

MIA file photo