Israel-Lebanon border violence escalates, two Israeli soldiers killed, one injured

Violence along the Israel-Lebanon border intensified Thursday, resulting in the deaths of two Israeli soldiers and injuring another.

Reports say officer Nael Fwarsy was killed by a drone in western Galilee, while soldier Tomer Keren fell victim to an anti-tank missile strike in Mount Rameh, upper Galilee.

The Israeli army reported serious injuries to another soldier from the missile strike but did not disclose further details. This incident brings the total number of Israeli soldiers killed since October 7 to 715, with 346 fatalities in Gaza ground battles since October 27.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for drone attacks on northern Israel’s military sites, retaliating against the Israeli army’s phosphorus shell bombardment of two southern Lebanese towns.

The strikes followed two days of wireless communication device explosions across Lebanon, killing 37 and injuring nearly 3,000.

The recent escalation is part of the ongoing cross-border conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 cross-border attack. The violence has claimed nearly 41,300 lives, predominantly women and children, in Israel’s Gaza Strip war.