Two IDF Soldiers Killed in Hezbollah Attack in Lebanon

Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon early Sunday, marking the first military fatalities for Israel in the region since hostilities with the militant group resumed following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement.

The Israel Defense Forces identified the fallen soldiers as Sergeant First Class Maher Khatar, 38, from the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights, and Staff Sergeant Or Damari, 20, from the community of Liman in the Galilee. Both served as heavy machinery operators in the Combat Engineering Corps of the 91st Division. According to the IDF, the incident occurred as the soldiers were using a D9 bulldozer to recover a stalled armored personnel carrier from rough terrain near an army outpost. A projectile, believed to be an antitank missile or mortar round, struck the vehicle, causing an explosion that killed Khatar and Damari. A combat officer sustained light wounds in the attack and was evacuated to a hospital for treatment, with his family notified.

The assault took place amid Israeli ground operations in southern Lebanon, where forces have maintained a limited presence at strategic outposts along the border to...