The Israel Defense Forces overnight Sunday eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist who killed IDF Capt. David Hazutt in Southern Lebanon’s Deir Siryan area earlier in the day, the military said on Monday.
Hazutt was killed when the terrorist opened fire after he and other soldiers entered a “suspicious structure” just south of the Litani River and northeast of Metula.
An additional soldier was wounded in the attack, and was evacuated to hospital in light condition.
IDF troops deployed in the area launched extensive searches and located the Hezbollah operative in one of the structures near the point of the encounter, where he was eliminated, according to the army.
“The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat posed to IDF soldiers and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organization to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the military added.
Hazutt, 21, from the southern city of Ashkelon, served as a platoon commander in the 12th Battalion of the Golani Infantry Brigade.
The total death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the War of Redemption—which was triggered by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre—now stands at 964, according to official IDF data.
Hazutt is the first soldier to be killed by Hezbollah since Jerusalem and Beirut signed a framework agreement on Friday aimed at removing the Iranian proxy from Southern Lebanon.
