An Israeli soldier, originally from the United States, has been killed in combat operations in southern Lebanon, officials from Israel announced on Sunday.
The soldier, Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak Hacohen Katz, 22, hailed from New Haven, Connecticut, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in a statement. Following his death, Katz was posthumously elevated in rank from corporal to sergeant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared that Katz joined the IDF’s Paratroopers Brigade after relocating to Israel. Details regarding the duration of his service were not disclosed, but the IDF mentioned his affiliation with the 890th Battalion.
“On behalf of all Israeli citizens, we extend our deepest condolences to Moshe’s family during this incredibly tough time and wish a swift and full recovery to our soldiers injured in the incident,” Netanyahu expressed. “May his memory be a blessing.”
The military did not specify how or where Katz died except to say that it was in combat in southern Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting a second front parallel to its joint operation in Iran with the United States. Israel has engaged in combat with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The United Nations’ refugee agency has warned that Lebanon is facing a humanitarian crisis that may become a “catastrophe.” One in five residents of the country, or a million people, have fled their homes, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Israel has told civilians in dozens of towns and villages across southern Lebanon to flee as it attacks alleged Hezbollah sites.
According to the independent National Institute for Security Studies in Israel, at least 1,116 people have been killed during the Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the war in Iran began.
