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

During a late-night operation in South Lebanon near the Ali Taher ridge, an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah struck an IDF force, severely injuring an officer and two soldiers. The wounded received initial medical treatment on site before being evacuated by helicopter to Rambam Hospital in Haifa. The unit was operating under Division 36 as part of an ongoing effort to encircle Hezbollah militants hiding in tunnels in the area.

In response to the attack, the IDF launched a series of strikes targeting multiple Hezbollah infrastructure sites in South Lebanon. Among the targets was a central Hezbollah command post in the Ansar area, used to coordinate operations. The strike killed Ali Samir Al-Hajj Hassan, a battalion commander in Hezbollah’s "Radwan Force," along with several other militants involved in planning attacks against Israeli forces.

The IDF stated that Hassan had used his family members as human shields by sheltering them inside the command post during the strike, and that the family members were reportedly harmed but were not the intended targets. The military emphasized its commitment to preventing harm to its forces and continuing operations to neutralize threats from Hezbollah in the region.