Four Israeli soldiers, including a battalion commander, were killed in southern Lebanon after a Hezbollah attack targeted their tank, the Israeli military and local media reported on Friday.
In a statement, the Israeli army said Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, from Beit HaShita and commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade, was killed during “combat.”
The military said three other soldiers were also killed in the attack, but their identities have not yet been cleared for publication and will be released at a later date.
The Israeli online newspaper The Times of Israel cited a military statement saying that an Israeli army tank came under a Hezbollah anti-tank drone attack overnight in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tebnit, killing four Israeli soldiers.
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Earlier on Friday, at least 24 people were killed and several others injured in a series of Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s official news agency, the National News Agency (NNA).
Despite a US-Iran deal that was reported to include provisions aimed at ending hostilities in Lebanon, Israeli strikes continued after midnight. NNA said the attacks hit inhabited homes in Al-Sharqiyah, Harouf, and Kfar Sir in the Nabatieh district, resulting in casualties and leaving several people unaccounted for.
According to the latest official figures, Israel’s military offensive in Lebanon, which began on March 2, has killed 3,912 people, injured 11,873 others, and displaced more than one million residents.
During the recent military campaign, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Lebanese territory.
READ: Netanyahu: Israel will not withdraw from southern Lebanon
