5 Israeli soldiers killed in intense battles in southern Lebanon, IDF kills Hezbollah commander and his replacement

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded in a single battle with Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon on Saturday evening, the IDF announced Sunday.

They were identified as: Cpt. (res.) Rabbi Avraham Yosef Goldberg (43) and Master Sgt. (res.) Gilad Elmaliach (30), both from Jerusalem; Cpt. (res.) Amit Chayut (29) from Haifa; Maj. (res.) Eliav Amram Abitbol (36) from Eitan; and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shaul Moyal (47) from Karnei Shomron.

All five fallen soldiers were part of the 228th Reserve “Alon” Brigade. Five of the wounded are still in serious condition, the IDF said, adding that three Hezbollah fighters were killed in the battle.

The exact circumstances of the incident are still under review and details about how the soldiers were killed will be released first to their families and later to the public, the military said.

The five deaths raised the overall losses during the ground operation in Lebanon to 34, seventeen of whom were killed during the past week.

The Alon Brigade has been deployed to northern Israel since the beginning of the war, and its reserve soldiers have served over 270 days in three stints so far.

2/ The IDF continued its air campaign to target Hezbollah capabilities, infrastructure, and leaders on October 26.

Hezbollah has conducted at least 25 attacks into Israel since CTP-ISW's last data cutoff on October 25 pic.twitter.com/9sX3hzzeNi

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) October 27, 2024

IDF troops on the ground continued their grinding advance across southern Lebanon, systematically locating and destroying Hezbollah infrastructure and massive weapon stockpiles, while battling pockets of armed resistance.

Over the last week, soldiers of the Golani Brigade battlegroup eliminated dozens of terrorists while raiding underground battle compounds and weapon depots in heavily wooded areas with thick undergrowth.

In one of the raids, soldiers found a camouflaged weapon depot hidden underground in a tangled and mountainous area. Weapons found included anti-tank missiles, machine guns, Kalashnikov rifles, and rocket launchers.

כוחות גולני איתרו מחסני אמצעי לחימה תת-קרקעים: בשטחים סבוכים ובנויים בסמוך למרחב אזרחי

לכל הפרטים והתיעודים>> https://t.co/fqUe4xEPL5 pic.twitter.com/CZIs1waX5L

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 27, 2024

In another sector of southern Lebanon, soldiers of the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade found a staging area of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force hidden in a village. The compound included several command posts, tunnels, and numerous weapons.

After clearing the area of terrorists and confiscating the weapons, the compound was detonated.

Using precise weaponry and by directing airstrikes, Israeli ground forces destroyed about 150 terrorist compounds, including underground infrastructure and headquarters during the last week, the IDF stated.

The army also said that fighter jets killed the Bint Jbeil district commander of Hezbollah, as well as his replacement, within 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. In addition, the artillery chief of the Bint Jbeil district was also killed.

במהלך הלילה מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בהכוונה מודיעינית מדוייקת של אגף המודיעין, תקפו בדאחיה שבבירות אתרים לייצור ולתחזוקת אמצעי לחימה ומחסן אמצעי לחימה של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה>> pic.twitter.com/tVsrWOomxH

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 27, 2024

“The terrorists directed and carried out many acts of terrorism from the Bint Jbeil district, including firing rockets and anti-tank missiles at the citizens of the State of Israel and the IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon. The IDF will continue to act strongly against the terrorists and commanders of the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” the IDF said.

Earlier, the Israeli army announced it had again struck weapon production and storage sites located in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district overnight.

During the last 24 hours, airstrikes killed some 70 terrorists and destroyed over 120 Hezbollah sites, the army said.