The IDF announced the death of a Maglan commando fighter in southern Lebanon on Saturday night, and separately published the name of one of three soldiers who fell alongside the 52nd Battalion commander overnight Thursday-Friday. The name of the Maglan fighter was not included in the IDF statement; the earlier incident claimed the lives of three soldiers including the battalion commander.
Late Saturday (20:46 Jerusalem), the IDF announced a Maglan commando fighter was killed in southern Lebanon during the Sabbath, without releasing his name pending family notification. Separately, the military published the name of one of the three soldiers who fell alongside the 52nd Battalion commander in the Thursday-Friday incident — the first name released from that event since the initial confirmation.
As The Zioneer reported at 20:46 Saturday, the earlier Thursday-Friday tank incident near the village of Tebnit killed Lt. Col. Dor Gadelia Ben Shimon, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, and two others; their names were cleared in stages (20:46). By 21:39, the IDF named Staff Sgt. Nir Ben Ari, 21, a Maglan fighter killed in a separate Hezbollah rocket and drone strike near the Ali Taher ridge around 01:30 Saturday, where 13 troops were wounded. The current announcement appears to refer to a distinct Maglan fatality on Saturday, separate from Ben Ari.
Background: The Zioneer previously reported (June 19, 13:13) that four soldiers were killed in a "complex" overnight engagement in southern Lebanon, and later (June 19, 16:15) that the IDF Spokesperson would brief on a "severe incident." The wider context includes a Hezbollah IED attack on June 18 (The Zioneer, 09:33) that killed reservist Staff Sgt. Alexander Filin. Hezbollah's combined attack on the Ali Taher ridge involved dozens of rockets, mortar shells, and explosive drones (The Zioneer, 21:02).
What remains open: The Maglan fighter's identity is still withheld; his unit and the exact circumstances of his death have not been detailed. The names of two soldiers killed alongside the 52nd Battalion commander in the Thursday-Friday incident have yet to be cleared for publication.
7 developments
- StrongIDF names two soldiers killed in separate southern Lebanon operations Saturday
- StrongFour IDF soldiers killed in complex combat in southern Lebanon overnight
- DevelopingIDF names two soldiers killed in tank tragedy with battalion commander, third in separate Hezbollah attack
- DevelopingLebanese Army says one soldier killed in IDF strike in southern Lebanon
Source and signal
- Internal intake