World News

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Chang Ung, a former North Korean member of the International Olympic Committee who once led sports exchanges with rival South Korea including joint marches of their athletes at the Olympics, has died, the IOC announced Wednesday. He was 87.

The IOC said on its website that it had learned with “extreme sadness” of Chang’s death on Sunday. It said the Olympic flag will be flown at half-mast for three days at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland in a show of respect.

The IOC statement didn’t describe the cause of Chang’s death. North Korea’s state media has not reported on his death.

Born in 1938, Chang was originally a basketball player who captained the North Korean national team. After retiring from the sport, he became an athletics administrator, serving as a vice sports minister, a vice chairman of North Korea’s national Olympic Committee and a vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia.

In 1996, Chang was elected to the IOC. As North Korea’s only-ever IOC member, he represented his country on international sports fields and headed numerous — if often rocky — talks with South Korea to promote sports exchange and cooperation programs between the rivals.

The most notable results of this diplomacy came at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, when athletes of the two Koreas marched together under a “unification flag” depicting their peninsula during the opening and closing ceremonies, the first joint parade since their division in 1945.

Athletes of the Koreas walked together at following Olympic Games and major international sports events, including the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics in South Korea. After watching a joint march in Pyeongchang’s opening ceremony, Chang told reporters that he was “deeply moved.”

Chang played a key role in earlier talks with South Korea, which led to the two countries sending their first unified male and female teams to the 1991 world table tennis championships in Chiba, Japan. In Pyeongchang, the two Koreas fielded their first combined Olympic team for women’s ice hockey.

But sports ties between North and South Korea have suffered as political relations frayed.

There have been no sports and any other exchanges programs between the countries for years. North Korea has shunned talks with South Korea and the U.S. since its leader Kim Jong Un’s broader nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. He’s also branded South Korea a permanent enemy and rejected the idea of future unification.

The IOC said Chang’s contributions helped advance sports participation, cultural exchanges and the role of sport in society.

“His efforts to promote cooperation on the Korean Peninsula demonstrated the power of sport to build bridges and inspire hope,” IOC President Kirsty Coventry said.

The IOC said Chang served on several commissions including Sport for All and International Olympic Truce Foundation.

North Korea’s official news agency, KCNA, last mentioned Chang in 2023, when he was awarded the Olympic Order, an award given to those who have made extraordinary contributions to the Olympics, during an IOC session in Mumbai, India. Chang, then an honorary IOC member, joined the ceremony by video.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said the military could end its Iran offensive in two to three weeks and will shift responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz to countries that rely on it for oil and shipping as the White House announced a prime-time presidential address Wednesday evening on the war.

Trump expressed frustration Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the U.S. war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil.” Trump recently has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war.

He said the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” what happens next in the vital waterway that has been closed by the Islamic Republic. Instead, he told reporters, the responsibility for keeping the strait open will rest with countries that rely on it. Gulf states rely on the waterway for both exports and imports, including food, and 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows through it.

U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up.

Here is the latest:

Iran’s foreign minister has acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff.

The comments by Abbas Araghchi came in an interview with pan-Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera aired late Tuesday. He insisted that the messages didn’t constitute negotiations.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly described Iran and America has having talks over the war, while Pakistan has been a key intermediary along with Egypt and Turkey during the conflict.

“I receive messages from Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations,” he said.

He added: “We do not have any faith that negotiations with the U.S. will yield any results. The trust level is at zero.”

Asked about a possible ground offensive by the U.S., Araghchi said “we are waiting for them.”

“We know very well how to defend ourselves,” Araghchi reportedly told the Qatar-based broadcaster. “In a ground war, we can do it even better. We are completely ready to confront any sort of ground attack. We hope they do not make such a mistake.”

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said in a preliminary count early Wednesday 21 people were also wounded in the strike in Jnah.

The strike came without warning, and Israel did not declare the target. When it does, it often says it is targeting operatives from the Hezbollah militant group.

Emergency workers rushed to the scene to search for victims.

Israel’s military warned the public Wednesday a missile was incoming from Yemen, yet another attack from the country’s Houthi rebels who have just entered the war on Iran’s side.

Air raid sirens went off in southern Israel, from Beersheba to the Mediterranean coast.

The warning, just around dawn, broke a long lull, more than 19 hours since the last time Israel’s military warned of an incoming missile launch from Iran, and more than six hours from the last alarms in the northern part of Israel, which in past days received near-constant fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A drone attack by Iran and its allies hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire, authorities said.

The state-run KUNA news agency said the attack early Wednesday sparked a “large fire” at the airport.

It said there were no immediate injuries from the attack and firefighters were working to control the blaze.

Kuwait International Airport has been attacked before by Iran during the war. The KUNA report suggested the attack may have been launched by Iranian-supported militias in Iraq with Tehran’s support.

In another strike, Bahrain said early on Wednesday morning that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack.

Israel said early Wednesday it struck a plant supplying Iran’s theocracy with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, to allegedly use in a chemical weapons program. Iran acknowledged the strike on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs” used in medical operations.

The strike happened Tuesday, both the Israelis and the Iranians said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted a picture of the factory in Tehran, writing on X: “The war criminals in Israel are now openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies.”

Hospitals extensively use fentanyl to treat severe pain. But a small amount of the drug can be fatal.

Both Israel and the United States have warned in recent years Iran was experimenting with fentanyl in munitions. The U.S. previously pointed to Iranian academic research studying how Russia likely used a fentanyl derivative during the 2002 Moscow theater hostage seizure by Chechen militants.

Israel alleged Tofigh Daru supplied fentanyl to an advanced research institute in Tehran, known by its acronym SPND. The U.S alleges SPND has conducted research and testing that could be applicable to the development of nuclear explosive devices and other weapons.

The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.

Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites.

Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms, the three airlines agreed on the order. It said holders of 10-year Golden Visa residency permits could still enter the country.

Authorities have offered no official comment. But Dubai has already shut down the city-state’s Iranian Hospital and Iranian Club, institutions that date back to the time of the shah.

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TRIKORFO, Greece (AP) — Can a centuries-old ritual of spiritual renewal rekindle a New Year’s resolution to build healthy eating habits before it fades in the spring?

For six weeks every year, millions of Orthodox Christians around the world adopt a largely vegan diet, abstaining from meat, dairy products, eggs, and fish with backbones. Oil and wine also are prohibited on weekdays during the 40-day Lenten period before Orthodox Easter, which often falls later than its Catholic and Anglican counterpart.

The annual adherence to a plant-based, Mediterranean-style meal plan drives a communal rediscovery of vegetables and oil-free cooking methods in majority-Orthodox countries.

In Greece, even McDonald’s franchises get into the lean Lent spirit by adding seasonal menu items that meet most of the proscriptions of the Greek Orthodox Church. The menu includes shrimp wraps, shrimp salad, vegetable spring rolls and plant-based McVeggie burgers but is not oil-free.

Although following Eastern Orthodox dietary guidelines before Easter is often referred to as fasting, the focus is on going without certain foods, not refraining from eating altogether. The rules are not rigid but can be adapted to account for personal needs.

Here’s a look at the annual alimentary tradition, along with reasons to consider sticking with a similar diet and cautionary advice from nutritionists.

Christian traditions diverge between East and West ahead of Easter, and not just in their methods for determining the most important date on their calendars. Catholics are encouraged to give up one or more personal indulgences during Lent but get to decide whether to deny themselves dessert, alcohol, video games, swearing or something else. Members of the Orthodox Church forgo animal products except for shellfish.

Gone are Greeks’ beloved dishes like mousaka and souvlakia — grilled meat wrapped with toppings. So are dairy products like milk and cheese. Vertebrate fish like anchovies, mullet and hake are no-nos too, although shrimp, oysters and calamari are permitted.

On a lush coastal hillside in central Greece, 40 monks closely follow these rules at the Monastery of St. Augustine and Seraphim. The monks, who wear black robes and full beards, grow and harvest most of their own produce in the monastery’s gardens, including an abudance of zucchini and tomatoes.

Their meals during Lent are basic but not bland. The monks have mastered methods to replicate familiar tastes and textures. Oven-roasted potatoes are coated with tahini instead of oil to preserve the crunch factor. Vegetable stock prepared from scratch gives lentil dishes a hearty flavor.

The monks listen to prayers read aloud as they eat.

Father Nektarios Moulatsiotis, the monastery’s affable abbot, says the practice of fasting and following a restricted diet is essential for deep reflection and focus required for the spiritual preparation for Easter. He compares it to endurance training.

“In the same way someone goes to the gym to shape their body,” Nektarios said, “the church is a gym for the soul.”

Occasional hunger pangs aren’t something to resist; they are part of the plan. The idea is simple: less indulgence, more clarity.

“You cannot really pray, study, chant or do any spiritual exercise with a full stomach,” he said with a chuckle.

Nektarios argues that a nutritious yet disciplined diet can produce benefits that apply outside of a religious setting as much as inside of one, such as a sense of greater self-control and enhanced awareness.

Orthodox monks observe several fasting periods that limit what, when and how much they eat for most of the year. Researchers have studied their health and food intake for decades to determine if their customs hold any clues to preventing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and strokes.

However, the advantages of eating a balanced diet that includes whole grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes are well-established. Reduce consumption of meat, saturated fats and processed foods long enough, and the body typically responds.

“Fasting certainly has benefits, provided it’s done correctly,” Eirini Babaroutsi, a sports nutritionist at the Hellenic Athletics Federation, said. For example, Orthodox Christians tend to eat more fiber during Lent, which helps the digestive system function better, she said.

“It also matters what we do eat, not simply what we avoid,” Babaroutsi said. “With the right combinations, we can get all the nutrients we need.”

Meals that meet the guidelines aren’t confined to the ingredients found in Orthodox-majority countries in Southern and Eastern Europe. Babaroutsi suggests porridge with oat milk, vegetable wraps with olive paste, and high-quality peanut butter as helpful international additions.

There are a few considerations.

A six-week fasting cycle is not advisable for older adults and young children, Babaroutsi said. The Eastern Orthodox church also exempts people with serious health conditions, special dietary requirements, and pregnant or nursing women from strict obedience.

Engaging in a post-Lent binge as a reward also is best avoided because loading up after a period of abstinence can strain the body, Babaroutsi said.

For those wary of making a full commitment, know that you’re not alone. Orthodox Lent started on Feb. 23, but many Greeks participate only during Holy Week, which starts on April 5, Palm Sunday, and goes until April 11, the day before Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter this year.

Supermarkets and bakeries in Greece make it easier to abide by stocking fast, family-friendly meals and an assortment of seasonal goods.

These include jars of pickles and olives, bags of chickpeas and other pulses, squid sliced into rings in freezer cases, the creamy pink fish roe known as taramosalata, and slabs of unleavened bread shaped like small surfboards.

In central Athens, at the slippery-floored central fish market, vendors call out over piles of Lent-compliant clams, octopus and mussels, shoveling seafood into paper cones.

Gerasimos Mantalvanos, the market’s general manager, said many customers tend to overindulge when Easter Sunday’s traditional lamb dishes and sweets arrive. For most, a spirit of moderation eventually returns, he said.

“It is good for eating habits to change from time to time during the year,” Mantalvanos said. “So a period of fasting, a little fish and some abstinence from meat, I think these are good for the body. It is a kind of small detox, a little break.”

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AP photographer Thanassis Stavrakis and videojournalist Srdjan Nedeljkovic contributed.

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SYDNEY (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees struggling to survive in Bangladesh’s overcrowded camps will see their food assistance slashed starting on Wednesday, raising alarm throughout the increasingly desperate community.

Currently, the 1.2 million Rohingya trapped in the squalid camps receive $12 a month per person, an amount the persecuted minority from Myanmar has long warned is barely sustainable. Most of the Rohingya in the camps fled brutal attacks by Myanmar’s military in 2017 and they are legally barred from working in Bangladesh, leaving them largely reliant upon humanitarian aid to survive.

Under the United Nations’ World Food Program’s new tiered system, the amount each person receives will vary based on the severity of their family’s needs, with around 17% of the population getting as little as $7 per month. A third of the population that has been classified as “extremely food insecure,” such as households headed by children, will continue receiving $12.

“It is very difficult to understand how we will survive now with only $7. Our children will suffer the most,” said camp resident Mohammed Rahim, who said he and his wife were already struggling to feed their three children before the reduction. “I am deeply concerned that people may face severe hunger and some may even die due to lack of food.”

The WFP has repeatedly warned that rations in the camps could be slashed as a result of last year’s steep foreign aid cuts by the United States and other countries, which saw the agency lose a third of its funding. But WFP spokesperson Kun Li said Wednesday’s change in food distribution was unrelated to the funding cuts, and it should not be described as a “ration cut,” despite two-thirds of the population receiving fewer rations as a result.

The agency said a ration cut implies food assistance is being reduced below 2,100 calories a day, the recommended minimum standard for emergency food aid. But the WFP said even those who will now receive just $7 per month will still be able to meet that threshold.

The plan “ensures that even with differentiated ration sizes, all Rohingya continue meeting their minimum food needs, strengthening fairness, transparency, and equity in food assistance,” the agency said in a statement.

But a ration cut is precisely what the change means for the Rohingya, said Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman.

With desperation already running high, Rahman told The Associated Press that the Rohingya will attempt to flee in search of food and work.

“Law and order will be deteriorated,” he said.

The same military that attacked the Rohingya in 2017 during what the U.S. declared a genocide overthrew Myanmar’s government in 2021 and remains in control of the country. That has made it virtually impossible for the Rohingya to return home safely.

Last year’s foreign aid cuts deepened misery across the camps, particularly for children, with the closure of schools contributing to a surge in kidnapping, child marriage and child labor. Programs to support the Rohingya were only around half funded in 2025, and are only 19 percent funded this year.

In 2023, the WFP was forced to cut rations to $8 a month due to a drop in donations. By November of that year, the agency said that 90% of camp residents could not afford an adequate diet and 15 percent of children were suffering from acute malnutrition, the highest rate ever recorded in the camps. Rations were restored to $12 a month in 2024.

Hungry, exhausted and increasingly hopeless camp residents who lived through that ration cut wonder how they will cope moving forward. Dozens of Rohingya staged protests against the new system on Tuesday, calling for the restoration of full rations. Many held signs warning of starvation and declaring “Food is a right, not a choice.”

Rahim, the father of three whose food aid has been reduced to $7 a month, said he is sick, and his children cannot safely leave the camps to earn money due to the increasing risk of kidnapping, violence and trafficking.

Rahim said several people he knows are already considering returning to Myanmar because of the reduced rations, despite the severe risks. Many others, he said, are considering fleeing to Malaysia on rickety fishing boats — an incredibly dangerous journey that results in hundreds of Rohingya children, women and men dying or vanishing each year.

“Ration cuts are pushing people toward life-threatening risks, leaving them with no safe choices,” he said. “I am very worried about the future of our children.”

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April 1 (Reuters) – Dubai-based airline Emirates’ website said on Wednesday that Iranian nationals were not allowed to enter or transit the United Arab Emirates.

The website of another carrier, Flydubai, said Iranian nationals holding a UAE “Golden Visa” were exempt and permitted to enter and transit the country.

The restrictions come amid heightened tensions between Iran and Gulf states.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Jamie Freed)

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JAKARTA, April 1 (Reuters) – Indonesia has called on the United Nations to conduct an investigation into the deaths of three of its UNIFIL peacekeepers following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, a foreign ministry official said in a statement published on Wednesday.

The ministry’s U.N. representative, Umar Hadi, made the statement during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Tuesday.

“We demand a direct investigation from the U.N., not just Israel’s excuses,” he said.

Indonesia said earlier this week that ongoing Israeli military operations have ​placed U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon at grave risk.

The Indonesian peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend in which Lebanese journalists and medics were also killed in Israeli strikes.

A roadside explosion appeared to have struck the convoy of two Indonesian peacekeepers ‌killed in southern Lebanon on Monday, U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Tuesday, citing the initial findings of an investigation.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its review of an incident involving UNIFIL troops on Monday concluded that Israeli ​troops did not place an explosive device in the area and that no troops were present there.

Indonesia contributes over 2,700 uniformed personnel to U.N. peacekeeping, among the largest contributors globally, the U.N. said in 2024.

Indonesia has pledged to contribute troops for potential deployment in Gaza as ​part of the U.N.-mandated multinational International Stabilization Force.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Editing by David Stanway)

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BEIRUT, March 31 (Reuters) – Three U.N. peacekeepers were killed this week in southern Lebanon, making the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah one of the deadliest chapters for a peacekeeping mission whose decades-long mandate expires this year.

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) first deployed in 1978 and has remained through successive conflicts, including a 2024 war during which its positions came under fire repeatedly.

In line with a Security Council decision, UNIFIL will cease operations at the end of 2026 and withdraw in 2027. As of March, UNIFIL had 7,505 peacekeepers from 47 nations.

HOW WERE THE PEACEKEEPERS KILLED?

The three peacekeepers, all from Indonesia, were killed in two separate incidents. 

Initial findings in a probe into the deaths of two of them point to a roadside explosion striking their convoy near Bani Hayyan on Monday, the head of U.N. peacekeeping said.

Israel’s ambassador to the U.N. said that Hezbollah explosive devices hit the peacekeepers in that incident. UNIFIL spokesperson Kandice Ardiel invited Israel “to share their evidence with our investigative team”.

Hezbollah didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The third peacekeeper was killed when a projectile hit a UNIFIL base near the village of Adchit al-Qusayr on Sunday.  

That incident is also being investigated.    

UNIFIL positions were struck repeatedly during a war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2024, but no peacekeepers were killed.

Ardiel said “a great deal of violence” was happening near UNIFIL positions: “There are projectiles being launched back and forth between the Israel Defense Forces and non-state actors, presumably Hezbollah.”

The last time a U.N. peacekeeper was killed was in 2022, when an Irish peacekeeper died when the vehicle he was in was shot at in south Lebanon. A Lebanese military tribunal sentenced six Hezbollah members over the killing.   

WHAT IS UNIFIL’S MISSION?

UNIFIL was set up in 1978 after Israel had invaded Lebanon to counter Palestinian militants in the south. UNIFIL’s mission included confirming Israel’s withdrawal and helping to restore Lebanon’s authority in the area.

While the threat posed to Israel by Palestinian groups diminished, Hezbollah emerged as a new actor hostile to Israel after its 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

After a 2006 war, UNIFIL’s mandate was expanded under U.N. Resolution 1701 to include monitoring a ceasefire, supporting the Lebanese army in its deployment into the south, and helping it enforce a prohibition of illegal arms there.

UNIFIL’s mission is to monitor the situation and report on violations of Resolution 1701, Ardiel said, adding: “The active conflict has changed what we’re able to do as we’re no longer able to go out and patrol.”

While Israel asked peacekeepers to leave their positions in 2024, it had not done so this time, she said. “But of course, they continue to reiterate that they consider this a dangerous situation” and that peacekeepers “should stay out of the way”.

The Israeli military said it is coordinating with UNIFIL and that it had called on “different uninvolved forces and civilians to get out of harm’s way” after Hezbollah opened fire.

WHY IS UNIFIL’S MISSION ENDING?

The power balance in Lebanon was turned on its head by the 2024 war, with Hezbollah badly weakened and a new Lebanese government taking office and launching an effort to disarm the group peacefully, beginning in the south.

Citing a “radically different” security environment in Lebanon, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. agreed to a French-drafted resolution in August extending UNIFIL’s mission “for a final time”. The Israeli ambassador to the U.N. said at the time that UNIFIL had “failed in its mission and allowed Hezbollah to become a dangerous regional threat”.

One Israeli goal in the current war is to establish and maintain security control over the area between the border and the Litani River – the UNIFIL area of operations.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily in Beirut, Steven Scheer and Emily Rose in Jerusalem, David Brunnstrom in New York; Writing by Tom PerryEditing by Keith Weir)

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‘One Bullet Will Not Be Enough’: Shooting Down Drones With a Standard Rifle 

IWI’s Arbel system brings computing power to the trigger mechanism, aiming to help soldiers land fast, consecutive hits on fleeting threats—especially small tactical drones 

Drone warfare is here to stay, and at Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), the answer taking shape is not a separate anti-drone gun but a standard rifle upgraded at its most decisive point: the trigger. The company’s Arbel system brings computing power into light arms so that soldiers can land multiple hits in the brief, high-pressure moments when a target appears and disappears just as quickly. 

I visited the expansive and sophisticated headquarters of Israel Weapon Industries to learn how the anti-drone system works. 

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Syria Detains Former Political Security Chief Muhammad Mansoura Amid Push To Investigate Assad-Era Abuses  

[DAMASCUS] Syria’s Internal Security Forces have detained former Maj. Gen. Muhammad Mansoura in the city of Jableh, in Latakia governorate, and transferred him to the capital, Damascus, to complete investigations.  

According to information obtained by The Media Line, the relevant authorities have initiated an official investigation into Mansoura while remaining prepared to receive any complaints or legal claims filed against him.  

Mansoura is considered one of the prominent security figures who held sensitive positions within the structure of the former Syrian regime. He served as the head of Syria’s Political Security Directorate from 2005 to 2016, one of the most significant security agencies under the Ministry of Interior.   

He also held multiple security positions in earlier stages of his career, including head of the military intelligence branch in the Syrian Jazira region, based in Qamishli, as well as head of the Palestine branch in Damascus, before becoming deputy to Maj. Gen. Ghazi Kanaan.  

Mansoura hails from the village of Ain Qubiya in the Hamam al-Qarahleh subdistrict of Latakia governorate. He was born in 1950 and holds the rank of major general. Reports indicate that he played security roles related to managing the balance of Arab-Kurdish relations in the Qamishli area, in addition to overseeing matters concerning Kurdish parties and forces during his tenure there.  

His name has also been linked to cases and allegations involving arms smuggling and corruption, as well as accusations of ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and its political extensions in Syria. He has not yet commented on these allegations.  

The detention comes as calls grow inside Syria to investigate alleged violations and abuses linked to the former security apparatus. These demands are part of a broader push for transitional justice, which includes uncovering the truth, ensuring legal accountability, compensating victims, and preserving national memory—steps widely seen as essential to the country’s political and social recovery.  

This development comes amid sweeping changes in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in late 2024, a turning point that ended a long period marked by repression, abuses, and the dominance of security institutions over public life.  

Efforts to prosecute former security and military officials are part of a broader push for transitional justice, including accountability, truth-telling, and the protection of victims’ rights and national memory. 

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4 IDF Soldiers Killed in Close-Range Clash With Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon  

Four Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers were killed during combat in southern Lebanon, the military said, as Israeli forces continue operations along the northern border aimed at establishing operational control in the area.  

The military identified three of the fallen as Capt. Noam Madmoni, 22, from Sderot; Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, 21, from Lehavim; and Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis, 21, from Bat Yam. All served in the Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit. The name of the fourth soldier has not yet been released.  

According to an IDF probe, the incident occurred Monday evening in the western sector of southern Lebanon, where troops from the Nahal Reconnaissance Unit identified a cell of Hezbollah gunmen. The soldiers engaged the operatives at close range, returning fire and hitting several of them.  

During the exchange, four Israeli soldiers were killed. One additional soldier was seriously wounded, while another soldier and a reservist were moderately injured. All casualties were evacuated to a hospital for treatment, and their families were notified.  

While forces were evacuating the wounded from the scene, Hezbollah operatives fired an anti-tank missile toward the troops. The missile did not cause additional injuries, according to the military.  

Israeli forces responded with tank shelling and airstrikes targeting the Hezbollah operatives in the area.  

The IDF said troops identified and engaged terrorist cells as part of ongoing operations in southern Lebanon. The Nahal Brigade is operating under the 162nd Division as part of efforts to establish operational control in the area. 

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