Israeli soldier killed in Hezbollah drone attack

The Israeli military said a soldier was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack near the Lebanon border, bringing the total number of soldiers killed in the war with the Iran-backed militia to 24. In a statement reported by AFP on Thursday, 28 May 2026, the military identified the soldier as 20-year-old Sergeant Rotem Yanai, who died during operational activities in northern Israel. One reservist sustained serious injuries and another moderate injuries in the same incident. The military told AFP that Yanai was killed by a Hezbollah explosive drone. In a condolence statement, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the only way to stop the attacks was to destroy large-scale infrastructure in southern Beirut, the Hezbollah stronghold. He wrote on Telegram to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “You know that the only way to prevent our soldiers from being injured is to destroy 10 buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut, for every drone.” He added, “For every drone that attacks one of our soldiers, we must destroy 100 buildings.” This follows Israeli military operations launched on Thursday morning targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near Tyre in southern Lebanon, after issuing evacuation warnings to residents. The day before, Israel declared the area south of the Zahrani River in Lebanon — approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the border — a “combat zone” and ordered evacuations ahead of attacks on Hezbollah. A total of 24 Israelis have died since the conflict began on 2 March, including 23 soldiers and one civilian contractor. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported on Wednesday, 27 May, that the total death toll had risen by 56 to 3,269 following large-scale Israeli strikes. Despite a ceasefire announced in mid-April, Israel continues military operations in Lebanon, while Hezbollah frequently launches drones towards Israeli troops and northern Israeli territory.