IDF vehicle rollover in southern Lebanon kills reserve driver, injures one soldier

The IDF said Thursday morning that it had cleared for publication the name of the soldier killed in a serious operational accident in southern Lebanon the previous night. The dead soldier was Reserve Staff Sgt. Basel Sued, 32, from Peki'in, who served as a driver in Battalion 75 of the 7th “Saar MiGolan” Formation. He was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in overturned during an operational activity in the area of Raba al-Thalthin in southern Lebanon.

The crash happened around 11 p.m. on Wednesday, when a vehicle belonging to a Golani Brigade combat team overturned in the operational sector. Sued died at the scene. Another fighter was moderately wounded, evacuated to a hospital for treatment, and his family was informed of his condition.

The accident comes amid a series of difficult incidents involving IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon in recent days. Only days earlier, the IDF announced that four fighters were killed when an explosive drone struck a tank they were in at the village of Tebnine in southern Lebanon. Among the dead was Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimon, commander of Battalion 52 in the “Iron Tracks” Formation, who had sent his troops an emotional personal message shortly before entering the operation.

The IDF said its forces continue to operate in southern Lebanon under ongoing threats and complex operational conditions. The recent incidents, it said, underscore the heavy price paid by troops on the northern front as they face both enemy fire and the inherent risks of activity in hostile territory. The security establishment is investigating the circumstances of the rollover.