Tel Aviv, October 28 (RHC)-- The Israeli army on Sunday admitted that five Israeli reservists in the 8207 battalion of the Alon brigade "fell during combat in southern Lebanon," adding that they were killed on Saturday.

The Saturday deaths brought the death toll to 37 for occupation troops in southern Lebanon since the start of the ground invasion on September 30th.   The Israeli media said the troops were caught by surprise by three Hezbollah resistance fighters hiding in a building.

The resistance fighters threw grenades and shot toward Israeli soldiers when a fire broke out, making the structure collapse on them.

They have been named as Capt. (res.) Avraham Yosef Goldberg, 43; Master Sgt. (res.) Gilad Elmaliach, 30; Capt. (res.) Amit Chayut, 29; and Maj. (res.) Eliav Amram Abitbol, 36, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shaul Moyal, 47.

Four Israeli soldiers and an officer were severely wounded in the incident, and nine others were lightly and moderately wounded, the Israeli media reported.  The Israeli military on Sunday also announced the death of Staff Sgt. Malachi Yehuda Harari, 22. He died from wounds sustained during the regime's genocidal war in north Gaza.

Israel has been targeting Lebanon since October 2023, after Hezbollah announced the opening of a “support front” in response to the Israeli genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians.

As many as 2,483 Lebanese people have been killed and 11,628 others wounded as a result of the regime’s intensified attacks against the country.  Hezbollah has been responding to the aggression with numerous retaliatory operations, targeting the occupied Palestinian territories.