IDF soldier KIA in Lebanon

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed in action in Southern Lebanon, the military announced on Monday morning.

The slain soldier was identified as Sgt. Nehoray Leizer, 19, from Eilat.

“Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I mourn the fall of Combat Engineering Corps soldier Sgt. Nehorai Leizer, of blessed memory, who was killed in battle in Southern Lebanon,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X. “Nehorai, of blessed memory, a wonderful young man from the city of Eilat, fought bravely and defended our northern border with devotion against the Hezbollah terrorist organization. We send our heartfelt condolences to his family and many friends and share in their deep sorrow. May his memory be blessed.”

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz mourned his death in an X post, describing him as “one of our finest” who was “imbued with a sense of mission and Zionism” from a young age, and offering condolences to his family.

An additional IDF soldier was seriously wounded in the incident. He was evacuated to a hospital and his family was notified. Katz in the same X post wished a speedy recovery to the wounded soldier, while praising Israeli troops continuing operations against enemy forces.

The military announced on Saturday night that Staff Sgt. Noam Hamburger, 23, a technology and maintenance specialist in the 9th Battalion of the 401st “Iron Tracks” Brigade, was killed in a Hezbollah explosive drone attack near the Lebanese border while engaged in operational activity in northern Israel.

A total of 948 Israeli troops have been killed on all fronts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reacted to the escalation in incidents on the northern front leading to casualties among IDF soldiers, calling on the prime minister to “bang on the table” of U.S. President Donald Trump and inform him that Israel is restarting the war in Lebanon in full force.

The heavy toll of explosive drones in Southern Lebanon must not be “normalized,” Ben-Gvir tweeted.

“We need to cut off the electricity in Lebanon, conquer the Dahiyeh, and return to an intense war,” he wrote.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also commented on the situation on Monday, saying that “For every explosive drone, ten buildings must fall in Beirut.”

“Defense is not a long-term solution. We must defeat the drones, like all other threats to the State of Israel, through offense,” the minister tweeted in Hebrew.

“A strategic threat is not countered through shielding alone, but by changing the rules and the equation. We cannot shield ourselves forever. Only exacting a deterrent and disproportionate price from the enemy will reshape the equation against our foes on all fronts,” he added.

Smotrich went on to say that his ministry approved a special budget of some two billion shekels (~$690 million) for technological solutions to address the drone threat.

“The budget will enable the defense establishment to prepare optimally, and also allow civilian entities to propose out-of-the-box solutions and ideas. Israeli ingenuity and the Jewish mind will surely quickly find an effective solution that will help not only us, but the entire world,” he said.