In clashes with Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon, two soldiers of the Israeli army were killed early Sunday morning. One of the fallen was identified as Maher Khatar, Sergeant First Class (Sgt. 1st Class) from the Druze village of Majdal Shams on the Golan Heights. Khatar served as a heavy equipment operator in a combat engineering unit. The name of the second fallen soldier has not yet been cleared for publication.

According to reports from Israeli media, the incident occurred during an operation at a military position in southern Lebanon. An engineering unit with two armored D9 bulldozers had been deployed to recover a stuck Puma armored personnel carrier. During this recovery operation, one of the D9 bulldozers was apparently hit by a mortar shell or an anti-tank missile. The impact likely caused an explosion in the area of a fuel tank, killing the two soldiers. Another officer was lightly wounded and brought to Israel for medical treatment. His family has been notified.

According to the army, this brings the number of Israeli soldiers fallen since the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023, to 926.

🕯️FALLEN HERO:
Master Sergeant Maher Khatar, aged 38, from Majdal Shams, a soldier from the Combat Engineering Corps in the 91st division, fell during combat in southern Lebanon.

May his bravery never be forgotten.🙏🏻#israel #israelisunderattack #standwithisrael pic.twitter.com/89wJgVLTgW

— Government Press Office 🇮🇱 (@GPOIsrael) March 8, 2026

Warning to Beirut

In light of the ongoing Hezbollah attacks, Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a clear warning to the Lebanese leadership. At a situation assessment in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, he stated that the Lebanese government must finally take action against the terrorist organization. “Lebanon is not the United Nations,” Katz said, referring to President Joseph Aoun. Beirut had committed to implementing the ceasefire agreement and disarming Hezbollah – but this is not happening. Israel will not accept attacks on its communities or on its soldiers. If the Lebanese government remains inactive, “Lebanon as a whole will pay the full price,” Katz warned. Israel has no territorial claims against Lebanon, but it will not allow the country to once again become a launch base for attacks on Israel.

Attacks on Iranian structures in Beirut

Parallel to the fighting at the border, the Israeli Air Force struck targets in Beirut on the night leading into Saturday. According to the army, the attacks targeted central commanders of the so-called Lebanon Division of the Iranian Quds Force. This unit serves as a link between the Iranian regime and Hezbollah and supports the military buildup of the terrorist organization in Lebanon, the military stated. The army declared that it will continue to act against Iranian structures that prepare or coordinate attacks on Israel from Lebanese territory.

Further casualties

Earlier, several Israeli soldiers were wounded in Hezbollah attacks. Two soldiers from the Givati Brigade were moderately wounded by anti-tank fire and brought to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv for treatment. In another Hezbollah rocket missile on a military position near the northern border, eight soldiers were injured, five of them seriously. Among the lightly wounded was also a son of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

The fighting along the Israeli-Lebanese border thus continues and shows how tense the situation in northern Israel remains.

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