IDF soldier killed, 13 injured during overnight Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and 13 others were wounded in southern Lebanon during an overnight attack by Hezbollah early Saturday morning. Sgt. First Class Nir Ben Ari, 21, of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan unit, died amid operations to capture a significant underground Hezbollah facility located beneath the Ali Taher ridge.

The IDF reported that around 1:30 a.m., a barrage of rockets and an explosive drone struck a military position in the Nabatieh-area village of Kfar Tebnit. The projectiles launched by the Iran-backed terror group resulted in Ben Ari's death and injured 13 other troops. Two soldiers sustained serious injuries, one moderate, and ten were lightly hurt. The wounded soldiers were transported to a hospital, and their families were notified.

Following the deadly attack, the IDF conducted retaliatory strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh region. This incident occurred just a day after four soldiers were killed in a separate Hezbollah attack on a tank in southern Lebanon early Friday morning, also during operations targeting the underground facility under Ali Taher.

A military investigation determined that the tank was hit by Hezbollah fire, refuting earlier reports that suggested a malfunction. The IDF views the underground site beneath the Ali Taher ridge as a major "strategic" facility and the "nerve center" of Hezbollah’s Badr regional division. The military estimates that dozens of Hezbollah operatives are currently holed up in the underground complex, leading to ongoing fighting both above and below ground in recent days. The ridge, initially outside the military's declared security zone, was recently included after an updated map was published.