Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed while battling Hezbollah terrorists along the border with Lebanon, the military announced on Monday morning.
The first slain soldier whose name was cleared for publication was identified as Master Sgt. (res.) Etay Azulay, 25, of the IDF’s elite Unit 5515, from Oranit in Samaria.
Unit 5515 specializes in the mobility and rescue of special forces using vehicles in difficult terrain and in complex operational situations.
Two other soldiers were seriously wounded in the incident, the IDF said.
On Monday afternoon, the IDF announced that Chief Warrant Officer (res.) Aviv Magen, from Moshav Herut, southeast of Netanya, was killed in action on the northern border. Magen served alongside Azulay in Unit 5515.
On Sunday, the military announced the death of a soldier wounded some four months ago during counter-terror operations in northern Gaza.
Sgt. First Class (res.) Nir Haddad, 28, from Petach Tikvah, served in the 8th Armored Brigade and was wounded on June 15.
Also on Sunday, three IDF troops, including an officer of the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion, were seriously wounded during fighting in the northern Strip, the military said.
The death toll among Israeli troops since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27 now stands at 347, and at 728 on all fronts since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist massacre, according to official military data.