IDF Captain David Hazut Killed in South Lebanon Clash; Attacker Escapes

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Captain David Hazut, a 21-year-old platoon commander in the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion from Ashkelon, was killed in combat during an encounter in South Lebanon. Another soldier was lightly wounded in the same incident and was evacuated to a hospital for treatment, with his family informed of his condition.

The incident occurred around 2:00 a.m. when a Golani reconnaissance unit entered a building in the village of Deir Sirian, located within the Israeli security zone in South Lebanon, approximately five kilometers from the border near Ramat Ridge. According to an initial investigation, a militant hiding in the stairwell opened fire at close range on the soldiers, resulting in Captain Hazut's death and the injury of another soldier. The attacker managed to flee the scene.

Following the clash, the IDF conducted an aerial strike on Hezbollah infrastructure in Deir Sirian. Security forces continue to pursue the militant, and IDF units remain active in the area.

This event comes shortly after the funerals of seven soldiers who fell in fighting in Lebanon last week, including Lieutenant Colonel Dor Ben Shmuel, commander of the 52nd Battalion, who died alongside three soldiers in a tank explosion. Since the renewal of hostilities in the north about three months ago, during Operation "Roaring Lion," 38 soldiers have been killed, 24 of them after a ceasefire was declared. Since the start of the war, 963 IDF soldiers have died, including 473 in battles in the Gaza Strip and 85 in South Lebanon.