The IDF has released for publication the names of the IDF soldier and officer killed earlier today (Wednesday, Jan. 28) by Hezbollah in its attack near Mount Dov.

Sergeant Dor Chaim Nini, 20, an infantry soldier from Shtulim, was killed by an anti-tank missile fired at the jeep in which he was riding. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Captain Yochai Kalangel, 25, a company commander in the Tzabar Battalion in the Givati Brigade, was a resident of Har Gilo. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major.

In addition, seven IDF soldiers were injured. Two are listed in serious condition and were admitted to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. Five are in good condition with shrapnel wounds and broken bones and are currently recovering in Tzefat’s Ziv Medical Center.

The families of all the soldiers have been notified. May God grant a speedy recovery to the wounded and may He avenge the blood of those who were killed.

Two IDF soldiers were killed and seven others were wounded, most of them suffering shrapnel injuries and broken bones, in an attack on northern Israel launched Wednesday at 11:35am by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.

A UNIFIL peacekeeper from Spain also died in the exchange of artillery fire that followed.

The multi-pronged attack on Mount Dov, Mount Hermon and the Metullah area in northern Israel involved gunfire and anti-tank missiles directed at a convoy of two IDF vehicles and two civilian vehicles traveling from Mount Dov. Both of the unarmored army jeeps were hit directly.

One of the missiles hit a home in the Druze village of Ghajar, which caught fire.

The IDF was instructed to evacuate all civilians from Mt. Hermon, according to IDF Spokesman Lt.-Col. Peter Lerner. Residents of Metulla and Kibbutz Snir were asked to stay inside on lockdown. The area of the northern Golan Heights along the border with Syria has since been declared a closed military zone. Roads to the area were closed to all civilian traffic. Route 99 was shut down by police in both directions and the airports at Rosh Pina and in Haifa were still closed on Wednesday evening.

The IDF returned artillery fire to the source of the attack, launching more than 20 shells at the southern Lebanon village of Kfar Shouba, according to military sources speaking on Army Radio. Although it appears that Hezbollah attempted to carry out a cross-border abduction raid similar to that launched in 2006 at the start of the Second Lebanon War, the effort failed and there were no kidnappings, an IDF spokesperson said.

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz convened an emergency assessment meeting as IDF troops were sent to the north to beef up forces in the region.

The IDF searched the area for tunnels near Zarit, where residents over the past year reported hearing the sounds of tapping and perhaps “digging” underneath their homes.

For obvious reasons, the IDF and IAF are on the highest alert status. Government leaders told media at 3 pm that the situation appeared to have “calmed” for the present time but that there is “not yet a feeling of having returned to a normal routine.”

This was the most serious security incident to take place in northern Israel since the Hezbollah rocket attack and kidnapping of two IDF soldiers that led to the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Air fields in northern Israel, including the Haifa airport, were partially shut down Wednesday in response to an attack by Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border earlier in the day.

Israeli airlines will continue flights, but private flights have been temporarily banned.

Two soldiers were killed, seven others were wounded and a civilian home was destroyed in the multi-prong attack.

The home destroyed was in Ghajar, a small Druze town on the Lebanese border. The town was placed on lockdown following the missile attack and ordered to remain in sheltered rooms in case of further attacks. Movement into or out of the town was prohibited.

In addition, the northern part of the Golan Heights has been declared a temporary closed military zone. The region from Dafna to Mas’ade is closed to civilians until noon Thursday.

The IDF announced that two Israeli soldiers were killed as a result of the Hezbollah terror attack earlier today.
In addition, seven other IDF soldiers were injured; injury levels vary from light to moderate.

UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) announced Wednesday afternoon it is trying to arrange a return to the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon that Hezbollah broke with its attack earlier in the day.

One UNIFIL soldier from Spain was killed as a result of the battle launched against Israel from Lebanon by Hezbollah.

Israeli leaders have been discussing how to respond to the attack, termed a “severe” violation by all.

Five injured soldiers were evacuated to Ziv Medical Center in Tzefat, four with light wounds and one in fair condition. Four others were taken to Rambam Hospital, condition unknown, including one civilian. A number of civilians were also being treated at a clinic in Kiryat Shmona for trauma and severe anxiety.

IDF tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs) were being trucked up to the north by mid-afternoon, local sources reported.

Heads of all security and defense departments are meeting with the prime minister and IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz at the Kirya army base in Tel Aviv. All domestic flights within Israel have been grounded in accordance with security protocols.

Gunfire continues to be exchanged sporadically between IDF and Hezbollah forces across the northern border, although by 3 pm government sources said the situation had “calmed.”

Hezbollah-linked Al Manar TV officially announced the terror organization was responsible for the multi-pronged attack on northern Israel.

While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah to “look at Gaza” before continuing its attacks, opposition Labor party chairman Isaac Herzog expressed his support for decisions being taken by the security establishment. He told media the terrorists should not make the mistake of thinking that upcoming elections could divide the people of Israel at the bottom line.

IDF posts on Mount Hermon and Har-Dov have sustained mortar shell bombings fired from Lebanon at 1:00 PM Wednesday afternoon. No injuries and casualties were reported. Tourists on the ski site of Mount Hermon were evacuated to safety.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attending a ceremony in Sderot near the Gaza border, commented on the events unfolding in Israel’s northern border on Wednesday, saying “At this very moment, the IDF is retaliating against the attack on Israel’s northern border. I urge those who want to challenge our security, to take a look at the Gaza-Strip. and the events that occurred there during the last summer.”

“Hamas suffered heavy blows, the heaviest since his establishment. The IDF is ready to project power on all fronts,” said the Israeli prime minister.

An Israeli artillery field encampment on high alert after they responded to several rockets hitting the Mount Hermon Resort, in the Golan Heights, northern Israel, January 27, 2105