IDF Officer and Two Soldiers Severely Wounded by Hezbollah Drone Attack in South Lebanon

Early Saturday morning, a serious security incident occurred in southern Lebanon when Hezbollah violated the ceasefire by launching an explosive drone at an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) unit operating on the Ali Taher ridge. The attack resulted in three soldiers being severely injured. The wounded were evacuated to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where one soldier's condition stabilized while the other two remained in intensive care under sedation.

The incident took place around 2:30 a.m. as a combat team from the IDF Commando Brigade was conducting operations in the security zone protecting northern Israeli communities. In response, the IDF launched a wave of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including a central command post in Ansar used for directing Hezbollah activities.

During the Ansar strike, Ali Samir Al-Hajj Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah's Radwan Force, was killed along with other militants involved in planning attacks against Israeli forces. Reports indicated that family members of Hassan, who were present at the military compound, were also hit. The IDF clarified that civilians were not the target and accused Hezbollah of using its own civilians as human shields.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office issued an unusual statement emphasizing that Hezbollah is willing to use civilians to falsely accuse Israel of deliberate attacks on non-combatants. Meanwhile, Lebanese sources reported at least seven fatalities from the strikes, including women and children, and additional Israeli attacks were reported in other southern Lebanese villages.

Lebanese Prime Minister condemned the Israeli strikes as a dangerous escalation undermining stability efforts in the south. Hezbollah threatened further retaliation, stating their responses would be proportional to the Israeli actions, which began with the drone attack on the IDF force.