IDF Sergeant Ori Greenberg killed during southern Lebanon fighting
Sergeant Ori Greenberg, 21, of the Golani Patrol, was killed early Thursday during the first direct ground clash with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Sergeant Ori Greenberg, 21, from Petah Tikva and a member of the Golani Patrol, was killed early Thursday morning during the first direct ground engagement of the ongoing operations in southern Lebanon.
According to IDF sources, the incident began around 2:10 a.m. when a Golani patrol operating in the Galilee Finger area, under Division 36, came under close-range fire from a group of at least five Hezbollah terrorists. A firefight ensued, marking the first “face-to-face” battle of the current campaign in Lebanon.
Sergeant Greenberg was critically wounded during the exchange and was evacuated from the battlefield. Despite immediate first aid, he was pronounced dead en route to the hospital.
The firefight continued into the early morning hours, with IDF ground forces successfully neutralizing several enemy combatants while the Israeli Air Force provided close support to secure the area. The region is currently being cleared in preparation for subsequent operations.
Prior to this, Israeli forces’ contact with Hezbollah had been limited to capturing two militants and targeting anti-tank squads via airstrikes and artillery. Thursday’s clash represents the first direct, sustained engagement with enemy forces on the ground in the current maneuver.
In seperate incidents, another Israeli soldier was seriously wounded Wednesday by a mortar strike, and several others sustained minor injuries, including one officer in a friendly-fire incident. Fifteen soldiers were also treated for suspected hypothermia during ongoing operations.
The escalation comes as Israel considers mobilizing up to 400,000 reservists to expand ground operations inside Lebanon.