Hezbollah Kills Israeli Officer Itamar Sapir in Qawzah Church Exchange of Fire

The Israeli army said one of its officers was killed in southern Lebanon amid Tel Aviv’s continued ceasefire violations, with the exchange of fire reported by Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth as occurring Tuesday morning in the village of Qawzah, north of Aita al-Shaab.

“In a remarkable development that pushed the Zionist circles into the quagmire of worries and fears, a Hezbollah fighter managed to infiltrate into Al-Qawzah border village, South Lebanon, in order to carry out a precise operation”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The Times of Israel identified the slain officer as Maj. (res.) Itamar Sapir, 27, a deputy company commander in the 551st Brigade’s 7008th, and said Sapir was killed when a Hezbollah operative began firing from inside a church at Israeli forces operating in the village of Qouza.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The Times of Israel reported that after the exchange of fire the Israel Defense Forces responded by striking targets in the area in an attempt to hit the operative, and it said Sapir was the eighth IDF soldier to be killed in southern Lebanon since the start of a ceasefire there on April 16.

Anadolu Ajansı put the broader toll of Israel’s Lebanon offensive since March 2, 2026 at 3,042 people killed and 9,301 wounded, and it said the fighting had displaced over 1.6 million people, citing Lebanese official figures.

The Times of Israel also said Lebanon’s health ministry reported that an Israeli strike on the town of Deir Qanun al-Nahr in the Tyre district resulted in an initial toll of 10 martyrs, including three children and three women, in addition to three wounded, including a child.

Palestine Chronicle said a Hezbollah fighter carried out a close-range ambush operation in the Qouzah area, reporting that Israeli Army Radio said the operative opened fire on an Israeli officer, killing him instantly before withdrawing.

The Times of Israel described the same incident as an exchange of fire in which a Hezbollah operative began firing from inside a church at Israeli forces operating in the village of Qouza, and it said the IDF responded by striking targets in the area.

Anadolu Ajansı

The Times of Israel reported that later on Tuesday Hezbollah launched several drones from Lebanon, with one drone intercepted and triggering sirens in several border communities, and it said another drone struck Israeli territory close to the border with two people reportedly lightly wounded.

Anadolu Ajansı said the Israeli army statement did not provide further details about the officer’s death, while Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported the officer was killed Tuesday morning in the exchange of fire with a Hezbollah fighter in Qawzah.

The Jerusalem Post said a senior IDF Northern Command officer told Walla on Monday that the IDF’s Northern Command had destroyed 60% of Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanese villages, and it quoted the officer saying, "Everywhere we identify an enemy, we attack,".

The Times of Israel said fighting continued with Hezbollah despite a newly extended ceasefire, and it reported that the truce held only partially and fighting continued on a daily basis, albeit in a limited capacity.

“The Israeli army confirmed that an officer and a soldier were injured in a Hezbollah booby-trapped drone attack at a site along the Israeli-Lebanese border”

El-Nashra

JNS.org said Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel on March 2, after the targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28, and it said Jerusalem launched an aerial campaign against Hezbollah in response to what it described as violation of the U.S.-brokered Nov. 27, 2024 truce agreement.

JNS.org reported that Jerusalem and Beirut agreed to a 10-day ceasefire on April 16 following mediation by U.S. President Donald Trump, then extended it for three more weeks on April 23 after direct talks in Washington, D.C., and it said a third round of talks on Friday extended the truce for another 45 days.

Anadolu Ajansı said Israel’s offensive since March 2 had killed 3,042 people and wounded 9,301, and it reported displacement of over 1.6 million people, while the Times of Israel described evacuation warnings for 12 villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah.

In the same reporting, the Times of Israel quoted army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee saying, "Anyone present near Hezbollah operatives, facilities, or combat equipment is putting their life at risk," citing alleged ceasefire violations by the terror group.