The IDF announced the death of an Israeli soldier from the Maglan commando unit during operations in southern Lebanon on Saturday. In a separate acknowledgment — the military also published the name of one of the three soldiers who fell alongside the 52nd Battalion commander during the incident overnight Thursday-Friday.
The IDF announced Saturday evening that a soldier from the Maglan commando unit was killed in southern Lebanon. The military identified him as Staff Sgt. Nir Ben Ari, 21, who fell in a Hezbollah rocket and drone strike on a Commando Brigade position near the village of Tibnit around 01:30 Saturday morning. Thirteen troops were wounded — two seriously, one moderately, and 10 lightly.
Ben Ari's death was the second of two distinct lethal incidents reported by The Zioneer over the past 48 hours. The first occurred overnight Thursday-Friday around 00:20, when four soldiers were killed in a tank-related event, including 52nd Battalion commander Lt. Col. Dor Gadelia Ben Shimon. The IDF has since released the names of three of those four fallen soldiers — Ben Shimon, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, and one other identified as Yoav. The fourth name remains withheld. The two incidents are separate and do not share operational circumstances.
The thread has evolved significantly in corroboration: initial reports (Fri 13:13 Jerusalem) gave a broad toll of four killed in complex combat; by Saturday 20:46 Jerusalem, the IDF had cleared details for both events, specifying weapon systems (explosive drone and rockets at Tibnit, tank event in the other) and casualty breakdowns. The Lebanese army separately reported one soldier killed in an IDF strike (Sat 13:44 Jerusalem), which is a distinct incident.
No further details about the broader operation or the circumstances of Ben Ari's death have been released beyond the IDF's statement. The military's publication ban remains in effect for the fourth soldier from the overnight Thursday-Friday incident pending family notification.
6 developments
- StrongIDF names two soldiers killed in separate southern Lebanon operations Saturday
- DevelopingLebanese Army says one soldier killed in IDF strike in southern Lebanon
- StrongFour IDF soldiers killed in complex combat in southern Lebanon overnight
- StrongIDF says one soldier killed, seven wounded by Hezbollah IED in southern Lebanon; Filin named, injuries detailed
Source and signal
- Internal intake