An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and 13 others wounded in southern Lebanon during an attack by the Hezbollah terror group early Saturday morning.

The slain soldier was named as Sgt. First Class Nir Ben Ari, 21, of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan unit, from Kerem Maharal.

He was killed amid operations to capture a major underground Hezbollah facility beneath the Ali Taher ridge. The IDF said Saturday it “halted its fire” outside its declared “security zone” in southern Lebanon, but would continue operations within it, including the ridge.

According to a military probe, at around 1:30 a.m., a barrage of rockets and an explosive drone struck a military position in the Nabatieh-area village of Kfar Tebnit.

The Iran-backed terror group’s projectiles killed Ben Ari and wounded 13 other troops, including two in serious condition, one moderately and 10 who were lightly hurt. The troops were taken to a hospital and their families were notified.

Following the deadly attack, the IDF carried out strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Nabatieh area.

The attack came after four soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah attack on a tank in southern Lebanon early Friday morning, also amid operations to capture the facility beneath Ali Taher.

In that attack, IDF Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, the commander of the 52nd Battalion, and three members of his crew were killed after a drone or anti-tank missile struck their tank.

Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 52nd Battalion, from Herzliya, was identified by the military on Saturday as another of the slain soldiers.

The names of the other two soldiers killed in the attack have not yet been published, but are expected to be released by the military soon.

A military probe has determined that, contrary to several media reports, the tank was hit by Hezbollah fire, and the blast was not the cause of a malfunction.

The IDF has........

© The Times of Israel