IDF concealed: Hezbollah launched drone at force in southern Lebanon in past day

ynet has learned that Hezbollah launched an explosive drone at an IDF force in southern Lebanon in the past day. There were no casualties and no damage was caused. The IDF chose not to report the incident but confirmed the details after ynet's inquiry. The incident occurred after two reserve soldiers were killed in an explosive device blast, and the political echelon restrained a harsh response.

ynet has learned that Hezbollah launched an explosive drone at an IDF force in southern Lebanon in the past day. There were no casualties and no damage was caused. The IDF chose not to report the incident but confirmed the details in response to ynet's inquiry. At the request of military officials, no further details regarding the forces' activity will be published. The incident occurred after two reserve soldiers from the 55th Paratroopers Brigade – Maj. (res.) Harel Birnstock and Master Sgt. (res.) Tamir Vaknin – were killed and four other soldiers were seriously wounded in an explosive device blast during a search of a booby-trapped structure. These were the first IDF casualties since the ceasefire in June 2026. The military defined the act as a violation of the ceasefire and demanded a forceful attack, but the political echelon restrained. Following the refusal, the IDF had to settle for pinpoint strikes last Wednesday. The IDF is investigating the incident, including when the device was planted. Last week too, Hezbollah launched an explosive drone at an IDF engineering vehicle, and the issue reached the political echelon. The Chief of Staff reprimanded the Northern Command chief and instructed that every incident must end with an immediate strike. The Israeli response came after the Prime Minister's approval: the IDF destroyed an underground command infrastructure of the 'Badr' unit in the Beaufort area using about 700 tons of explosives.