The IDF said on Saturday evening that Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein and Sgt. Maj. Niv Ben Ari were killed in combat in southern Lebanon. The announcement came amid a sharp overnight escalation, after Hezbollah fired more than 50 rockets at IDF forces, which the army described as a violation of the ceasefire agreement.
In response, the IDF said it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets and operatives in southern Lebanon overnight, including rocket launch sites, weapons depots, and command posts. The military said it remains committed to the ceasefire under the political leadership’s instructions, but will continue acting to remove threats to Israel and its forces. The army also said it will not tolerate harm to civilians or soldiers and will respond forcefully.
A senior IDF officer rejected criticism of Israeli troops remaining in southern Lebanon under the ceasefire, saying the army continues to hold the “yellow line.” He added that commanders believe the agreement may collapse because of Hezbollah’s intense fighting around its strategic stronghold in the Nabatieh area, where dozens of fighters are reportedly encircled. The main focus of IDF activity is now Nabatieh and its surroundings, where Hezbollah has been fighting a delaying action for the past week.
The officer described fighting in the village of Tebnit, saying the IDF had planned the operation there for months and seized a highly significant underground network, including one tunnel more than a kilometer long and others hundreds of meters long. He said it is the “central nervous system” of the Badr Unit, and that dozens of fighters are trapped there, under heavy pressure and calling for help. He said Nabatieh matters because of a large underground “city” built over years by Hezbollah and Iran, roughly 15 kilometers north of the Litani River, controlling critical routes for moving operatives, weapons, and supplies. He also said IDF forces are currently clearing the Ali Taher ridge, which lies inside the yellow line, and cited operational considerations and the Beaufort infrastructure as reasons for the operation.
