An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and three others were wounded in a Hezbollah drone attack in southern Lebanon early Monday morning, the military said, a day after it took control of the historic Beaufort Castle and the surrounding strategic ridge.

It was the second fatality in as many days, as Israel also announced Monday morning that it would renew its large-scale airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed terror group, after limiting them for weeks at the request of the United States.

The slain soldier was named as Staff Sgt. Adam Tzarfati, 20, of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan Unit, from Rosh Ha’ayin.

At around 1 a.m., an explosive-laden first-person-view drone launched by Hezbollah struck a site in the southern Lebanon town of Yohmor, near the Beaufort Castle, where Israeli troops were operating.

The blast killed Tzarfati and seriously wounded another soldier. Two other troops were lightly hurt in the attack, the army said.

The wounded soldiers were airlifted to a hospital and their families were notified, the IDF added.

Israel has struggled to fend off growing attacks on troops in southern Lebanon and northern Israel by Hezbollah’s first-person view drones, which are largely impervious to jamming technology. The terror group has also fired rockets and other types of UAVs, hitting both military and civilian targets.

Thirteen IDF soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian contractor have been killed by Hezbollah attacks in southern Lebanon during the porous ceasefire that began on April 16. The IDF has said it has killed over 900 Hezbollah operatives in that time.

Hezbollah has kept up its regular rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel and on troops in Lebanon,........

© The Times of Israel