Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in combat with Hezbollah in south Lebanon, the Israeli military said in a statement on October 2. The Egoz commandos were all killed during a gun battle with Hezbollah operatives in a southern Lebanon village. Another officer and four soldiers were seriously wounded in the same incident. The two soldiers of the Golani recon unit were killed in a separate incident, in which another soldier was seriously wounded. Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s media relations organised a media tour among the rubbles of Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 2. Hezbollah’s media chief said they are “only in the first round” following clashes with Israeli troops in southern Lebanon.