Sgt. Aviaad Elchanan Volansky, 21, from Jerusalem, a tank crewman in the 77th Battalion of the Armored Corps, was killed Thursday by anti-tank fire directed at his tank in southern Lebanon. Four other soldiers — two officers and two troops — were lightly wounded in the incident.
Volansky, the son of Brig. Gen. (res.) Yair Volansky, who serves as defense establishment comptroller, and the grandson of Rabbi Oded Volansky, a prominent figure in the religious Zionist community, was operating as part of a Golani Brigade combat team. His father previously commanded the same battalion.
According to the IDF, Hezbollah operatives fired two anti-tank missiles at the force. One was intercepted by an active defense system, while the second struck the tank. Israeli forces responded with gunfire and artillery toward the attackers.
Defense Minister Israel Katz expressed condolences to the family, saying Volansky “fell in heroic combat in southern Lebanon defending the State of Israel and its citizens.” He noted that the soldier’s father works alongside him and described him as “a man of mission, dedication and integrity.”
The incident occurred in the same area where Staff Sgt. Ori Greenberg, 21, a Golani reconnaissance soldier from Petah Tikva, was killed overnight in close-quarters combat with Hezbollah terrorists. An officer was also moderately wounded overnight by IDF fire, and 14 soldiers were evacuated to a hospital due to suspected hypothermia.
IDF troops are currently operating in Lebanon as part of three divisions — the 162nd, 91st and 36th. Division 162 most recently joined the operation, which focuses on three objectives, according to the chief of staff: preventing direct attacks on Israeli communities, stopping anti-tank fire toward those communities, and isolating southern Lebanon by separating the area south of the Litani River and demilitarizing it.
The IDF said Hezbollah has intensified its fire over the past day under pressure, launching about 100 rockets into Israeli territory and hundreds more at ground forces operating in Lebanon. While Hezbollah fighters have generally avoided direct defensive battles, several intense clashes have occurred in recent days.
Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo said during a situational assessment in southern Lebanon that Israeli forces are operating according to a structured plan to push the enemy back and remove threats. “We are seeing significant achievements both from airstrikes and from our ground offensive, where our forces are encountering the enemy face to face,” he said. “So far we have eliminated more than 750 militants, destroyed infrastructure across Lebanon, and continue to strike the organization’s key centers of gravity.”
Watch: Brigade 226 troops in southern Lebanon
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
The IDF also said Brigade 226, operating under Division 146, has killed several militant cells and destroyed dozens of weapons depots and Hezbollah-used structures since entering the operation, striking about 200 targets. In addition, the military announced the killing of Hassan Mohammed Bashir, described as a senior commander in Hezbollah’s anti-tank array, who oversaw multiple cells responsible for anti-tank missile fire in recent years and was involved in training operatives.