IDF forces engaged Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon overnight. The Times of Israel reports that a soldier from the Golani Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit, was killed in the firefight. Staff Sgt. Ori Greenberg, 21, is the third IDF casualty in Israel’s ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, as northern cities and communities continue to be barraged with rockets and drones. Meanwhile, Iran launched more strikes this morning, injuring nine people in central Israel and the West Bank.
According to an initial IDF probe of the incident, at around 2 a.m., the Golani soldiers identified several Hezbollah operatives in their area of operations in southern Lebanon.
The troops exchanged fire with the Hezbollah gunmen, and during the battle, Greenberg was killed and another soldier was lightly hurt. The IDF says the latter did not require hospitalization.
The military said the Golani soldiers managed to kill several of the Hezbollah operatives during the clash, and were searching the area for the remaining gunmen.
“Ori was a boy who overcame all obstacles and all his fears,” his father Yaron told the Ynet news site. “He always pushed himself forward with determination, with love, with a good heart. And they told us that’s how he met his death.”
Hezbollah continues to launch rockets into the Galilee region, injuring more than 10 people over the past two days and killing one. Iran also fired seven salvos of ballistic missiles at Israel early this morning, injuring five people in the central city of Kafr Qasim.
There have been more than 600 attacks on Israel by Hezbollah in the past 24 hours, doubling previous peak rates. Meanwhile, Iran—the regime that supports Hezbollah—has also escalated attacks across the Gulf while rejecting any notion of peace talks, which the U.S. had said were underway.
The Fellowship and its supporters continue to pray ceaselessly for the brave IDF soldiers serving on multiple fronts across the Holy Land during this tumultuous time.
