"Eight soldiers were killed and 22 injured in fighting at Bint Jbeil," an army spokesman told AFP.

Military sources told AFP that three officers, including the deputy commander of a battalion, were among those killed and that it took the army six hours to retrieve the bodies amid fierce fighting.

It was the deadliest day for Israeli troops since the army launched its massive offensive against Lebanon on July 12, after Hezbollah killed eight Israeli soldiers and seized another two in a cross-border attack.

Israel's commander in the north warned that the blitz against Lebanon would continue for "several more weeks" and the casualty toll would likely rise.

"The fighting is continuing at this hour. It has resulted in a large number of casualties but our soldiers are continuing with their mission," General Udi Adam told reporters.

"Today is a difficult day and I regret to say that there will be more like it," he said. "But... dozens of terrorists have been killed."

Adam said the troops were killed after being "ambushed by dozens of Hezbollah fighters" around Bint Jbeil, where Hezbollah has a military headquarters.

Two elite infantry regiments were conducting the offensive in Bint Jbeil, backed by armored personnel carriers and air force, he said.

Wednesday's deaths bring to 32 the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the start of fighting 15 days ago. Eighteen civilians have also been killed.

Some 130 rockets were fired from southern Lebanon at Israel's third-largest city of Haifa in the north, injuring at least six people, according to medical officials and police.

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