Israeli military announces its first combat death since incursions in Lebanon began

The Israeli military has announced its first combat death since launching ground operations in Lebanon this week.

The military said on Wednesday that a 22-year-old in a commando brigade was killed in combat in Lebanon.

Israeli ground troops have carried out incursions into Lebanon against Hezbollah, and Tehran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles on Israel late Tuesday.

The escalation on multiple fronts has raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East that could draw in Iran — which backs Hezbollah and Hamas — as well as the US, which has rushed military assets to the region in support of Israel.

Hezbollah, widely seen as the most powerful armed group in the region, said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in two places inside Lebanon near the border. The Israeli military said ground forces backed by airstrikes had killed militants in “close-range engagements” without saying where.