An Israeli soldier was killed and two reserve soldiers were injured in a Hezbollah drone attack near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The soldier killed was identified as Sergeant Rotem Yanai. The incident occurred despite a ceasefire declared between Lebanon and Israel on April 16.
Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out strikes inside Lebanon, while Hezbollah has launched retaliatory attacks. The IDF reported that 11 Israeli soldiers have been killed since April 16, seven of them in explosive drone attacks. The renewed violence highlights the fragility of the truce and the persistence of hostilities along the border.
Earlier this week, an IDF official told CNN that Israel’s intensified operations in Lebanon aim to push Hezbollah’s explosive drone capabilities further from the border, suggesting that cross-border military activity may continue in the near term.