8 Israeli Soldiers Killed Amid Clashes in Lebanon, U.S. Responds
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Oct 02, 2024
At least eight Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in South Lebanon during a campaign against Hezbollah, Israel said on Wednesday. According to Reuters, both groups clashed inside Lebanon on Wednesday, reporting ground clashes for the first time since Israeli forces pushed over the border. Hezbollah said that they had destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with rockets near the border town of Maroun El Ras.
In a condolence video, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We are at the height of a difficult war against Iran's Axis of Evil, which wants to destroy us. This will not happen because we will stand together, and with God's help, we will win together," he said.
The news follows a day after Iran fired more than 180 missiles into Israel, the largest ballistic missile attack in history, in response to the deaths of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. At least one person, a 38-year-old Palestinian from Gaza, was killed in Iran's attack on Israel and was buried on Wednesday.
Per Fox News, the Pentagon said Tuesday that the United States response to Iran's attack against Israel included firing about a dozen interceptors to shoot down some of the nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched.
The interceptors were fired from the USS Cole and USS Bulkley guided-missile destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said, adding that there was "minimal damage" to the ground in Israel.
Ryder also said that the U.S. was not given prior warning of the attack, and no American personnel were injured.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday plans to provide an additional $210 million to protect faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations against targeted attacks.
The funds are taken from the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and are part of an effort to counter an increase in hate crimes and other forms of targeted violence against faith-based institutions and nonprofits that began after Hamas attacked Israel last year on Oct. 7.
"Now, when we continue to live in a heightened threat environment, the security-enhancing grant funds we provide to nonprofit organizations are more critical than ever," said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Following Hamas' attack on Israel, more than 3,200 faith-based and other nonprofit groups were awarded more than $454 million in NSGP funding to purchase security cameras, additional warning and alert systems, gates and lighting, access control systems, and training programs for staff, DHS said.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Amir Levy/Stringer
