TEHRAN – Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) admit another soldier has been killed by the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.

According to the Hebrew media, the soldier, identified as a Staff Sergeant, was killed in southern Lebanon by a Hezbollah mortar shell. It marks the sixth IOF fatality “killed during combat” on the northern front that the Zionist regime has announced since the so-called “ceasefire” began.

There is strict media censorship on IOF casualty numbers, which experts argue is higher than what is being announced.

Hebrew media also noted that the incident “does not involve a loitering munition” (in reference to Hezbollah’s FPV drones or guided projectiles).

Earlier, the regime’s military radio reported that four IOF soldiers sustained injuries, with one of them in critical condition. The casualties were caused by an explosive drone launched by Hezbollah towards Ras Naqoura, in southern Lebanon.

Broadcaster Kan quoted military sources as saying that Hezbollah “crossed a red line” in the Ras Naqoura attack.

Channel 15 reported that “preliminary military investigations show the explosive drone that detonated in Ras Naqoura was launched from a long distance.”

Kan also stated that drones launched by Hezbollah cannot be reliably detected, noting that one of them struck its target in the Rosh HaNikra settlement on Thursday without any prior warning.

Channel i24 News also mentioned that a drone attack targeting Rosh HaNikra, which wounded at least three people, was launched from a distance and went undetected.

There has been an escalation of attacks by Hezbollah against the IOF. The Lebanese resistance announced that it had detonated an explosive device targeting an IOF force spotted infiltrating towards a water pump station north of the town of Taybeh.

Following the detonation, the force was shelled with artillery, causing confirmed casualties and forcing it to withdraw under heavy fire and a dense smoke screen, which helicopters used to evacuate the wounded.

The Lebanese resistance front also announced that it had targeted an IOF unit near the newly established Bayyada post with rocket barrages and artillery fire, and then struck a Merkava tank attempting to support the unit with a guided missile, achieving a direct hit.

Hezbollah further announced a series of operations targeting IOF equipment and vehicles inside Lebanese territory, as well as engaging the regime’s warplanes and drones in southern Lebanese airspace.

In consecutive statements, Hezbollah said it targeted an IOF unit that had moved into the Bidr al-Faq’ani area of Taybeh with a rocket barrage.

Moving from Taybeh to Hadata, resistance fighters spotted two IOF D9 bulldozers advancing from the town of Rashaaf. They detonated an explosive device against the first bulldozer on the road between the two towns. The second bulldozer was then hit with another device as it attempted to continue its advance towards the pond area in Hadata.

The resistance movement said that an IOF aircraft carried out an airstrike on the second bulldozer, destroying it and setting it on fire.

Hezbollah also announced it had targeted an IOF unit near the newly established Bayyada post with rocket barrages and artillery fire. It then struck a Merkava tank attempting to support the unit with a guided missile, achieving a direct hit.

Shortly after, resistance fighters renewed their targeting of the same force with a rocket barrage.

On the ground and in the air, the Lebanese resistance said it engaged IOF aircraft and drones in southern Lebanese airspace, using surface-to-air missiles.

These operations are part of Hezbollah’s response to IOF violations of the temporary truce announced by the United States between Lebanon and the occupation regime, the attacks on villages in southern Lebanon that have killed and wounded civilians, and the violation of Lebanese airspace.

The regime's Channel 15 said the IOF has begun distributing “protective netting” to its forces in Lebanon to counter drones, adding that about 158,000 square meters of netting have been deployed, with procurement advancing for an additional 188,000 square meters.

Meanwhile, the regime’s Channel 13 admitted that the IOF has made no progress in finding a solution to the drone threat, acknowledging that protective netting cannot cover all of southern Lebanon. It added that Hezbollah exploits this vulnerability by deploying drone swarms that overwhelm detection and interception systems, noting that the drone used in the Ras Naqoura attack was not detected in advance.

The Hebrew language newspaper Maariv had earlier admitted that “the current situation on the Lebanese border is extremely dangerous,” noting that Hezbollah has intensified its operations against the (occupation) military in southern Lebanon. This is coupled with an escalation in “psychological warfare” through documenting operations and releasing footage of the attacks.

The newspaper noted that Hezbollah is readopting tactics similar to those used during the 1990s against the IOF in south Lebanon, affirming that recent operations have increased pressure along the Lebanese border and northern settlements.