On Wednesday evening, the IDF Spokesman’s office identified six soldiers from the Golani Brigade who were killed earlier that day during combat in southern Lebanon.
The fallen soldiers were Captain Itay Marcovich, 22, from Kokhav Ya’ir, who served as a Platoon Commander; Staff Sergeant Sraya Elbom, 21, from Mehola, a Squad Commander; Staff Sergeant Dror Hen, 20, from Gan Haim, a Squad Sergeant; Staff Sergeant Nir Gofer, 20, from Dimona, a soldier; Sergeant Shalev Itzhak Sagron, 21, from Sderot, a soldier; and Sergeant Yoav Daniel, 19, from Nahariya, also a soldier.
All six were part of the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade and were killed in an encounter with Hezbollah militants in a southern Lebanon village. Another soldier was moderately wounded during the same battle.
President Isaac Herzog expressed his condolences in a post on social media, describing the soldiers as heroes who gave their lives defending Israel. He praised their bravery, courage, and dedication, and wished for the swift recovery of those injured in the conflict.
The Golani Brigade, along with Brigade 188 operating under Division 36, has been conducting operations in the western sector of southern Lebanon, focusing on villages with known Hezbollah activity. These areas had been used for launching attacks or storing weapons prior to the IDF’s ground operations.
The IDF has cleared most of the first line of villages along the border and is now advancing into new areas, where it had not previously conducted ground maneuvers. The Golani Brigade’s mission includes securing strategic locations and locating weapons and launchers. Recent rocket fire targeting northern Israeli communities has been traced back to some of these villages.
During an assault on several targets, Battalion 51’s soldiers encountered at least four Hezbollah fighters in a building they believed to be unoccupied. A prolonged firefight ensued, and reports suggest that the terrorists may have emerged from an underground shaft, evading injury from preliminary airstrikes.
Another group of Hezbollah militants launched an attack from nearby buildings, causing the IDF soldiers to come under fire from multiple directions. The battle lasted around three hours before the IDF gained control of the area. A seventh soldier was also moderately wounded in the engagement.
The fighting occurred after several brigades operating in southern Lebanon were rotated out, with some defense officials even discussing the possibility of deploying reserve forces. Despite the lack of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the IDF is expected to keep some reserve units in Lebanon to continue applying pressure on the militant group.