Four IDF Soldiers, Including 52nd Battalion Commander, Killed in Southern Lebanon

The IDF said on Friday that four soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon, among them the commander of the 52nd Battalion. The army said the notification had been delivered to their families. According to the military’s initial account, the troops were on an operational mission when their tank ran over a powerful explosive device, which detonated and set the vehicle on fire.

The deaths came after the Israeli Air Force struck and destroyed a launcher that had been used to fire rockets at an IDF force in southern Lebanon. The army also said it had attacked Hezbollah terrorists and terror infrastructure across several areas in southern Lebanon overnight and continued striking targets during the day.

The incident took place amid the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, which officials say could affect the Lebanese front. It also comes as IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered the military to prepare for all scenarios on the northern front, in defense and offense, with high readiness and rapid shifts from calm to emergency. The instruction placed special emphasis on Air Force pilots and the air defense network. The scenarios being prepared for include a strike in Iran and a return to intense fighting in Lebanon against Hezbollah.

The latest fatalities followed the death two days earlier of Reserve Master Sergeant Alexander Filin, 29, of Haifa, who was killed in combat in southern Lebanon. In the same area, the deputy commander of the 36th Division was moderately wounded by an explosive device, along with another officer who commands a reserve battalion in the 556 Transport Formation. A preliminary inquiry said the force was hit around 5 p.m. while operating on foot in the Litani area, and that the explosion was likely caused by an enemy explosive device. Further details are still under investigation, and afterward the IDF shelled terror infrastructure in the area with artillery.