2 IDF soldiers killed in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah terrorists fire at IDF forces near the Israeli border, killing two soldiers.

By World Israel News Staff

Two IDF soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon overnight, the Israeli military announced Sunday afternoon.

The incident marks the first case of Israeli fatalities in Lebanon since IDF ground forces crossed the border, establishing a new defensive line in southern Lebanon.

According to an army spokesperson, the attack occurred at one of the new IDF outposts established on the Ramim Ridge, near Margaliot.

Since its 2024 incursion into southern Lebanon, the IDF has maintained a number of outposts at strategic points along the Israel-Lebanon border to prevent Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel.

Following Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon under the November 2024 ceasefire deal, the IDF evacuated all but five of its outposts inside Lebanese territory, maintaining a marginal presence across the border.

However, following Hezbollah attacks on Israel last week, the IDF deployed additional forces in southern Lebanon, ordering mass evacuations of locals and moving northward to establish a new defensive line.

The fatal Hezbollah attack occurred while an engineering squad from Division 91 was working to retrieve a Puma-type armored personnel carrier from the 601st Battalion, that was stuck in rough terrain.

The engineering team was using several D9 bulldozers to help recover the APC when the force came under attack by Hezbollah.

A projectile struck one of the bulldozers during the operation, killing two soldiers and wounding one.

According to preliminary reports, the projectile was either a mortar shell or an anti-tank missile.

The projectile struck the bulldozer’s fuel tank, causing a large explosion.

“The regional brigade forces carried out an orderly defense-management procedure and are in readiness and prepared to adapt at any time,” an army spokesperson said. “The IDF will continue to act forcefully to thwart the enemy and remove threats to the citizens of the State of Israel.”

One of the fallen soldiers has been identified as Staff Sergeant Maher Khatar, 38, from the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights. Khatar was a heavy equipment operator for the Combat Engineering Corps.