Jerusalem, Oct 3 (IANS): The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that eight of its soldiers have been killed in combat with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The soldiers were killed in two battles in Lebanon on Wednesday. Three officers and three soldiers died during a confrontation in a building, while five others were seriously wounded, all from the elite commando unit Egoz, which specialises in battles in complex terrains, fieldcraft, camouflage, and miniature warfare.

In the second battle, two soldiers from the Golani infantry brigade were killed by mortar bombs, and another was severely injured, Xinhua news agency reported.

The IDF also reported that a Golani combat medic was seriously injured in a third confrontation.

Among the eight fatalities was 22-year-old Eitan Oster, a squad commander of Egoz, as confirmed by the IDF earlier in the day.

The killings were reported as the Israeli forces managed to advance into Lebanon on the northern front against the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.