A reservist combat soldier was killed and seven others were wounded when a Hezbollah explosive device detonated near an Israeli force operating along the Litani River in southern Lebanon, the IDF announced.

The military identified the fallen soldier as Master Sergeant (res.) Alexander Filin hy”d, 29, of Haifa, a combat soldier in the 36th Division’s command post.

The blast struck at around 5 p.m. as the deputy commander of the 36th Division, his forward command team and other soldiers were moving along the Litani River.

Three of the wounded were moderately injured, including two officers. They were the deputy division commander, a colonel; a battalion commander in the 556th Transport Regiment, a reserve lieutenant colonel; and another reservist. A combat soldier, two combat reservists and a servicewoman were lightly injured in the explosion. All of the wounded were taken to hospitals, and their families were notified, the IDF said.

Filin’s death is the latest in a string of IDF losses in southern Lebanon, where troops have continued ground operations against Hezbollah amid a fragile, repeatedly renewed ceasefire.

The 36th Division is one of several IDF divisions deployed in the security zone Israel holds in southern Lebanon. The stated goal of the operation has been to destroy buildings near the border used for military purposes and to push Hezbollah members north of the Litani River.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)