Two IDF Soldiers Hy’d Killed in Lebanon; Name of One Released

Two IDF soldiers were killed early Sunday when Hezbollah launched an attack in southern Lebanon, as rockets and drones were fired toward large parts of northern Israel throughout the day.

At the same time, the IDF continued extensive strikes across Lebanon. The military said that roughly 200 members of Hezbollah and other terror groups have been killed since the escalation in fighting began last week.

One of the soldiers killed was identified Sunday afternoon as Sgt. First Class Maher Khatar, 38, a heavy machinery operator serving in the combat engineering unit of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division. He was from Majdal Shams.

The military said the identity of the second fallen soldier would be released later.

The deadly incident occurred near an IDF position in southern Lebanon opposite the Israeli border community of Manara.

According to a preliminary IDF investigation, the situation began when a Puma armored personnel carrier became stuck during operational activity in the area. Another Puma APC and two D9 armored bulldozers were dispatched to help extract the vehicle.

During the rescue effort, one of the D9 bulldozers was hit by a projectile, believed to have been either an anti-tank missile or a mortar round. The impact sparked a fire that killed the two soldiers. An officer was also lightly wounded in the attack.

Overnight and throughout Sunday, rocket and drone sirens repeatedly sounded across northern Israel, forcing residents in Haifa, Karmiel, Safed, Rosh Hanikra and other communities to rush to protected areas.

The IDF said most of Hezbollah’s attacks were launched from deeper inside southern Lebanon rather than from areas immediately near the border.

By mid-morning Sunday, at least three drones launched from Lebanon were intercepted by Israeli defenses in northern Israel. One of the drones triggered a lengthy pursuit that set off warning sirens across a wide region.

During attempts to shoot down the drone, several homes in northern Israel were damaged by helicopter fire. The military said the helicopter used 30mm cannons and ultimately destroyed the drone near the Lebanon border.

“As part of the interception attempts, a small number of homes in Israeli territory were hit by artillery shells that were fired,” the military said, adding that no injuries were reported and that the incident is being investigated.

The IDF also said Sunday that it had carried out more than 600 strikes in Lebanon, dropping over 820 bombs since Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Monday following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.

Among the roughly 200 terrorists killed in the past week were about 80 members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force and 70 Hezbollah artillery operatives, along with several senior commanders, including the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon. Lebanon’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes over the past week killed 394 people, including 83 children.

Lebanon’s government — which says it has been working to disarm Hezbollah — has sharply criticized the terror group’s renewed attacks on Israel, accusing it of dragging the country into a broader regional war on Iran’s behalf.

During the night between Saturday and Sunday, Israel also struck an upscale hotel in Beirut, killing at least four people. The IDF said the strike targeted senior commanders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Amid the escalating cross-border fighting, more than 100 Iranian nationals — including diplomats — were evacuated from Beirut overnight, according to a Lebanese official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

“A total of 117 Iranians, including diplomats and embassy staff, were evacuated on a Russian plane that left Beirut overnight from Saturday to Sunday,” the official said.

The evacuation followed a decision by Lebanon’s government on Thursday to ban all activity by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of Hezbollah’s main backers. Authorities also introduced visa requirements for Iranian citizens entering Lebanon as part of measures aimed at pressuring Hezbollah.

The official said Lebanese authorities were notified in advance by the Iranian embassy about the evacuation, which departed from Beirut’s international airport. The aircraft reportedly headed toward Turkey, though the Iranians’ final destination was not specified.

The plane also carried the body of an Iranian diplomat killed during the war, along with the bodies of his wife and three children, the official said.

On Sunday, the IDF repeated its warning to civilians throughout southern Lebanon to leave the area because of the ongoing fighting against Hezbollah terrorists.

“Hezbollah’s terror activities are forcing the IDF to act against it with force in the area,” said army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.

“Airstrikes are ongoing as the IDF operates with great force in the area. Therefore, for your safety, we once again urge you to evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Litani River,” he said.

The IDF first issued the evacuation warning Wednesday. The military estimates that more than 420,000 Lebanese civilians have left their homes since Hezbollah resumed rocket fire on Israel last week, prompting expanded Israeli operations against the terror group.

Israel had already been carrying out regular strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon following a 2024 agreement, accusing the terror group of violating the ceasefire. Israeli forces also maintained control of five border outposts inside Lebanon for security reasons, and have since expanded operations beyond those positions as the current fighting intensified.

The November 2024 ceasefire had ended a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. That conflict began when the terror group started firing missiles and drones into northern Israel one day after Hamas terrorists launched their devastating attack on southern Israel that ignited the war in Gaza.