IDF names second soldier killed in Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon on Sunday

The Israel Defense Forces named on Monday the second soldier killed in a Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, as missiles and drones continued to rain down across much of northern Israel throughout the day.

The first of the slain Israeli troops was named Sunday afternoon as Sgt. First Class Maher Khatar, 38, a heavy machinery operator in the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division’s combat engineering unit, from Majdal Shams.

The second was named on Monday afternoon as Staff Sgt. Or Demry, 20, a heavy machinery operator in the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division’s combat engineering unit, from Liman.

The incident took place near an army post in southern Lebanon, just across from the Israeli border community of Manara.

According to a preliminary IDF probe, the incident began when a tank got stuck during operations in the area. The IDF sent a Puma armored personnel carrier and two D9 armored bulldozers in an attempt to extract it.

One of the D9 bulldozers was struck by a projectile, possibly an anti-tank missile or a mortar, causing a blaze that killed the two troops, according to the IDF’s probe. One officer was also lightly injured in the incident.

Meanwhile, the IDF said Monday it had pushed deeper into southern Lebanon overnight as part of a bid to create a buffer zone to protect northern communities after Hezbollah began attacking Israel a week ago, as the terror group fired multiple rocket barrages at civilian areas.

Troops raided the Rab al-Thalathine area, west of the Israeli border community of Misgav Am, with the aim of locating and clearing the Lebanese village of Hezbollah infrastructure and operatives, the army said.

The IDF said it carried out numerous air and artillery strikes before the troops moved into the area, saying it was part of its “enhanced forward defense posture.”

“This operation is part of the effort to establish a forward defense that will create an additional security layer for the residents of the north,” the military said in a statement. The IDF has said that Hezbollah is launching most of its attacks from deeper within southern Lebanon, and not from close to the border.

The IDF said Monday that some 300 members of Hezbollah and other terror groups have been killed since hostilities intensified last week.

Lebanon’s health ministry said that at least 394 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, including 83 children. The toll did not differentiate between terror operatives and civilians.

At the same time, Hezbollah rocket and drone fire at northern Israel continued unabated, sending millions running for shelter, including in the city of Haifa.

The IDF has said that Hezbollah is launching most of its attacks from deeper within southern Lebanon, and not from close to the border.

The military said on Monday that it had intercepted dozens of Hezbollah drones and struck dozens of the terror group’s rocket and missile launchers in southern Lebanon in recent days.

It published footage showing the interceptions of Hezbollah drones by a fighter jet, a helicopter and a ground-based air defense system.

חיל האוויר ממשיך בהתקפה ובהגנה מול ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה: יירוט עשרות כלי טיס בלתי מאויישים ותקיפת עשרות משגרי רקטות

בתגובה לירי הרקטות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה לעבר שטח מדינת ישראל, חיל האוויר השלים ביממות האחרונות גלי תקיפות נוספים בלבנון.

במהלך התקיפות הושמדו עשרות משגרי רקטות… pic.twitter.com/5TENu0ckOL

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 9, 2026

The military said the rocket and missile launchers that were struck were located south of the Litani River, and had been used to fire dozens of projectiles at Israel.

More than 700 targets have been hit in Lebanon over the past week, the IDF said Monday, including more than 30-multi-story buildings in Beirut that were used by Hezbollah.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that over a million Lebanese civilians have heeded Israeli warnings and evacuated their homes since Hezbollah renewed its rocket attacks on Israel last week, prompting fresh IDF activity against the terror group.

According to the defense minister’s office, during an assessment at the IDF Northern Command, Katz was informed that 650,000 Lebanese have evacuated Beirut’s southern suburbs, a known Hezbollah stronghold, and another 500,000 have left southern Lebanon.

Israel regularly struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon following a 2024 agreement, accusing the terror group of ceasefire violations, and continued to hold on to five border posts inside Lebanon, citing security needs. It has now expanded beyond those points, citing defensive needs.

The November 2024 ceasefire ended a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, which started when the terror group began firing missiles and drones into northern Israel one day after its ally Hamas launched a devastating attack on southern Israel that set off the war in Gaza.