Another ceasefire violation: Hezbollah launched a first-person view (FPV) drone at an IDF force in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, ynet has learned. There were no casualties and no damage was caused. The IDF chose not to report the incident, but confirmed the details following an inquiry by ynet. The order not to publish the drone launch toward the force was given by Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo.
At the request of military officials, no additional details regarding the forces’ activity will be published.
The incident occurred after two reservists from the 55th Paratroopers Brigade — Major (Res.) Harel Birenstock and combat medic Sergeant Major (Res.) Tamir Vaknin — were killed Wednesday, and four additional soldiers were seriously wounded in the explosion of a bomb during a search of a booby-trapped building. They were the first IDF fatalities since the ceasefire went into effect in June 2026. The military defined Hezbollah’s action as a violation of the ceasefire and, as previously reported by ynet, demanded a forceful strike, but the political echelon blocked it.
Following the political echelon’s refusal, the IDF was forced to settle for limited strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. The military is conducting an in-depth investigation of the incident, including several key questions, foremost among them when the explosive device was planted — before or after the ceasefire took effect.
Beaufort Ridge after the destruction of the underground facility
(Photo: AFP)
(Photo: AFP)
If the device was not planted after the ceasefire came into effect, the military is examining whether it was activated by Hezbollah operatives who knew IDF forces were present in the area.
Last week, Hezbollah also launched an FPV drone toward an IDF engineering vehicle operating in the Ali Taher ridge area in southern Lebanon. The drone struck the engineering vehicle, but fortunately the incident ended without casualties. Northern Command did not immediately respond to the attack on the military target, and the issue reached the political echelon.
According to sources in the command, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir reprimanded Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and instructed that every such incident must end with an immediate strike on available Hezbollah targets, and only afterward should the military await guidance from the political echelon.
The Israeli response came later, after approval from the prime minister. The IDF destroyed a large underground command infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah’s Badr Unit in the Beaufort area using approximately 700 tons of explosives. Israeli political and military officials directly linked the destruction of the command facilities to the launch of the explosive drone.