One Israeli soldier killed, several injured in Hezbollah Hurfeish strike
An israeli drone targeted Thursday a motorbike in the southern border town of Aitaroun, as Israel ramped up in past weeks its targeting of Hezbollah fighters and allied militants in cars and on motorbikes in south Lebanon.
The Israeli army had carried out airstrikes overnight on the southern towns of al-Odaisseh, the Tyre District town of Wadi Jilo, and the outskirts of Siddiqin and Adshit, while artillery shelled al-Abbasieh, al-Wazzani and the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab.
In response to the strike on Aitaroun, Hezbollah targeted the Biranit barracks in northern Israel and announced the death of one of its soldiers.
Earlier on Thursday, Hezbollah targeted an Israeli post in the occupied Kfarshouba Heights, a day after the group carried out 10 attacks on Israeli posts, including with suicide drones.
The Israeli military said Thursday that a soldier was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on the town of Hurfeish in northern Israel.
The soldier "fell fighting in the north" on Wednesday, the military said in a statement, after two explosive drones were launched from Lebanon against the town of Hurfeish.
The Israeli army identified the soldier as Staff Sergeant Refael Kauders, aged 39.
In a briefing to reporters, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said "Hezbollah... have for the last eight months been escalating almost every day their attacks against Israel" and "trying to penetrate Israel's defensive mechanisms".
"It had a devastating result, of course, of a soldier killed," Lerner said.
The military correspondent of the Times of Israel newspaper reported that the drone attack also left nine other troops wounded, one of them seriously.
Hezbollah also fired Wednesday a guided missile on an Iron Dome platform in the Ramot Naftali barracks.
As tensions escalated on the Lebanese-Israeli border, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel was "prepared for a very intense operation" along the border with Lebanon.
Wednesday's fatality takes the toll to at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians killed on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, according to the military, since clashes with Hezbollah began after the war with Hamas broke out in Gaza on October 7.
In Lebanon, the violence has killed at least 455 people, mostly fighters but including 88 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
06 June 2024, 21:17
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A true resistance would first guarantee the safety of its people before starting a suicidal war for the sake of others.
Yes, Hezbollah is capable of inflicting some damage on Israel but a what costs? This time there will be no place to run to and no financial compensations from anywhere.
07 June 2024, 03:43
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Mordercai Haddad, the Viet Cong fought against a technologically superior enemy, enduring immense hardships and sacrifices to defend their land and people. They understood that the struggle for freedom often comes at a high cost, but it was a price they were willing to pay for the long-term goal of independence and sovereignty.
True resistance is not merely about guaranteeing immediate safety; it's about securing long-term freedom. Hezbollah, like many resistance groups, acts in response to decades of oppression and occupation. The costs are undeniably high, but so are the stakes—preserving dignity, autonomy, and a future free from subjugation. The struggle is not driven by financial compensation but by an unwavering commitment to self-determination and the defense of fundamental human rights. Resistance is born from the need to protect one's homeland and people, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
