An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed fighting Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon on Saturday night, the military announced on Sunday morning.
IDF Staff Sgt. Michael Tyukin, 21, from the southern city of Ashkelon, served in the Givati Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion, according to a statement.
According to the Hebrew-language Ynet news outlet, Tyukin was killed when a Hezbollah drone hit a group of Israeli troops. Four other soldiers sustained light injuries in the incident, the IDF said.
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 950, according to official IDF data. Tyukin is the 13th IDF soldier to be killed by Hezbollah since a shaky ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect on April 17.
According to the terms of the ceasefire, “Israel retains the right to act in self-defense against imminent or ongoing threats, while refraining from offensive military operations in Lebanon.”
The unmanned aerial vehicle was reportedly launched by Hezbollah around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and struck soldiers near the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, where forces are attempting to secure areas north of the Litani River.
Tyukin was his mother’s only child, Ynet reported. He and his mother were said to have immigrated to the Jewish state from Ukraine in 2020.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Tyukin “fought heroically deep within Lebanese territory to protect the security of Israel and the communities of the north.”
“On behalf of all citizens of Israel, we share in the profound grief of Michael’s family and embrace them and his loved ones,” the premier stated. “We wish a full and speedy recovery to our wounded, and stand by our brave IDF soldiers who are currently on the front lines.
“May Michael’s memory be blessed and enshrined in our hearts forever,” the statement concluded.
“I share in the profound grief of the Tyukin family over the loss of Staff Staff Sgt. Michael Tyukin, of blessed memory, a fighter in the Givati Reconnaissance Unit, who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon,” Defense Minister Israel Katz stated.
“Michael immigrated to Israel from Ukraine with his mother only six years ago. He chose to tie his fate to that of the State of Israel, enlisted in meaningful combat service and became a symbol of Zionism, dedication and love of the land,” the statement continued.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to his mother, his family and his friends, and pray for the full recovery of the four soldiers wounded in the incident,” added Katz.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah renewed its rocket and drone attacks on Israel on March 2, following the targeted killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during the opening stages of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28.
In response, Israel launched a broad aerial campaign against Hezbollah targets and expanded military operations in Southern Lebanon aimed at preventing cross-border attacks on Israeli communities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 26 accused Hezbollah of “essentially disintegrating” the fragile truce, which was extended for another 45 days earlier this month.
“Therefore, as far as we are concerned, what obligates us is the security of Israel, the security of our soldiers, and the security of our communities,” the prime minister said. “We are acting vigorously according to the rules we agreed upon with the United States, and incidentally, with Lebanon as well.”
Air-raid sirens continued to peal throughout northern Israel on Sunday, warning of incoming rockets and drones targeting civilians and soldiers in the border region and beyond, as Hezbollah further extended the range of its fire, triggering air-raid alerts in the city of Acre and its industrial zone, as well as in Haifa’s bayside suburbs known as the Krayot. Sirens also sounded in Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya and other communities in the north.
In one incident on Sunday morning, a “suspicious aerial target” hit in an open area in the north, the military said. Shortly before noon, several “projectiles” struck open areas, while additional rockets were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah over the weekend increased the range of its attacks on Israeli territory, setting off sirens in the Galilee cities of Karmiel and Safed for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect. Rockets were shot down throughout the day on Saturday, while others hit open areas.
In response, the IDF Home Front Command announced on Saturday night that schools in border communities would remain closed pending a security assessment on Monday night.
Israel’s Health Ministry said on Saturday that Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya is shifting operations into its protected underground complex in line with Home Front Command instructions following a situational assessment led by the ministry’s director general.
The move, approved after a discussion by the Supreme Hospitalization Authority, will be carried out gradually under existing emergency preparedness plans, the ministry said. Community health fund clinics and family health centers will operate from protected facilities, and the ministry said the health system remains ready to provide medical services under emergency conditions while it continues ongoing assessments and updates guidelines as needed.
