An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed on Thursday in a Hezbollah drone strike near Kibbutz Kabri, the military announced on Friday morning.
The slain soldier, identified as Sgt. 1st Class (res.) Valeri Chefonov, 33, from Netanya, was a member of the 228th “Alon” Infantry Brigade.
The strike was part of a massive drone and rocket barrage fired at the Western Galilee. Hezbollah claimed responsibility, saying it was “in response to Israeli attacks in Southern Lebanon,” and aimed at the IDF’s Malikia post.
Kabri is around 2.5 miles east of the Mediterranean seaside city of Nahariya.
On Tuesday night, two Israelis were killed in a Hezbollah rocket barrage fired at the Golan Heights. The victims were identified as Noa and Nir Barnes, both aged 46, a couple from Kibbutz Ortal and the parents of three children. They were driving home when their vehicle was struck.
Hezbollah has attacked the Jewish state’s north nearly every day since Oct. 8, firing thousands of drones, rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israeli towns, killing more than 20 people and causing widespread damage.
The death toll among Israeli troops on all fronts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre now stands at 682, according to official IDF data.
Additionally, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, a member of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit, was fatally wounded last month during a mission to rescue four hostages in the Gaza Strip, and civilian defense contractor Liron Yitzhak was mortally wounded in Gaza in May.
