Israel faced one of its deadliest days in the ongoing ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday, with six soldiers killed in combat near the border.

The army confirmed that these soldiers “fell during combat in southern Lebanon,” raising the total number of Israeli troops killed in clashes with Hezbollah to 47 since ground forces were deployed on September 30.

The announcement followed statements from Israel’s new defense minister, Israel Katz, who affirmed that there would be no reduction in military efforts against Hezbollah. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences on social media, posting an image of the “Golani” Brigade insignia, which features a green olive tree on a yellow background, accompanied by a broken heart emoji.

Earlier on Wednesday, an Israeli airstrike targeted Aramoun, a densely populated area south of Beirut that lies outside Hezbollah’s usual strongholds, resulting in six fatalities, according to the Lebanese health ministry. On the same day, state media reported a third wave of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions in southern Beirut within a 24-hour period.

The Israeli army also announced that it intercepted some of the five projectiles that had crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon. During his first visit to the border since his recent appointment, Defense Minister Israel Katz assured military commanders that there would be “no cease-fires” and that Israel would not relent in its military objectives against Hezbollah, stating, “We will continue to strike Hezbollah everywhere.”

Israel’s goals include disarming Hezbollah and pushing militants beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Following Katz’s remarks, another airstrike hit a suburb of Beirut in the evening after the military had warned residents to evacuate.

Hezbollah claimed to have launched ballistic missiles at the Israeli army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, which also serves as the defense ministry. When contacted for comment, the Israeli army spokesperson’s unit said it would not respond to Hezbollah’s claims.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, an ally of Hamas, released a video earlier on Wednesday of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza, identifying himself as Sasha Trupanov.

Trupanov’s mother, Lena, in a statement published by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum campaign group, urged the hostages’ immediate release.

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According to Lebanese authorities, over 3,360 people have died since October 8, 2023, when cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel intensified. Additionally, rocket fire from Lebanon on Tuesday resulted in two deaths in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, raising the civilian death toll in northern Israel to 45 due to such attacks.

Since September 23, Israel has intensified its airstrikes in Lebanon, focusing on Hezbollah strongholds primarily in southern Beirut and other eastern and southern regions. This military campaign was initiated after nearly a year of cross-border skirmishes, which were sparked by Hezbollah’s support for Hamas following the latter’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that led to the outbreak of the Gaza war.