Footage released Sunday afternoon shows Capt. David Hazutt, 21, a Golani Brigade platoon commander, lifting his soldiers' spirits shortly before he was killed overnight in a Hezbollah ambush in southern Lebanon. The IDF said one other soldier was lightly wounded in the same clash, and a manhunt for the terrorist who opened fire from a stairwell remains ongoing.
Sunday afternoon brought newly released footage showing Capt. David Hazutt, 21, in his final hours with his Golani Brigade soldiers, raising morale before the platoon entered a building during a sweep in the southern Lebanese village of Deir Siryan. According to the IDF, a Hezbollah operative hiding on a stairwell opened fire at close range, killing Hazutt and lightly wounding another soldier. The terrorist fled the scene, and Israeli forces are still searching for him.
This development follows earlier reports from The Zioneer on Sunday (12:45 Jerusalem), when the IDF initially announced the death of a 12th Battalion platoon commander without releasing the name; by 13:09 the military had identified him as Capt. David Hazutt, 21, from Ashkelon. A concurrent bulletin confirmed that the operative remained at large. Later at 15:01, the news desk reported that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz had eulogized Hazutt, with Netanyahu calling him among Israel's finest sons.
The incident adds to a series of casualties sustained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported on June 18, Staff Sgt. Alexander Filin was killed by a Hezbollah IED in the Litani area, and seven others were wounded. On June 25, an IDF commander in southern Lebanon issued an urgent appeal for drone supplies after a firefight in which two soldiers were killed.
No additional details have been released on the ongoing manhunt for the Hezbollah operative who ambushed Hazutt's unit. The IDF has not confirmed whether the operative has been eliminated or cornered.
5 developments
- StrongIDF officer killed in clash with Hezbollah operative south of Litani River
- DevelopingIDF troops engage Hezbollah cell in southern Lebanon, kill two operatives
- DevelopingIDF eliminates Hezbollah operative on motorcycle in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingIDF eliminates Hezbollah operatives threatening troops at Ali al-Taher Ridge
Source and signal
- Internal intake