Israeli Defense Forces reservist Master Sgt. Alexander Filin, 29, from Haifa, lost his life Wednesday during combat operations in southern Lebanon, according to a military announcement. In the same area, two senior officers — the deputy commander of the IDF’s 36th Division and a reserve battalion commander — were moderately wounded when an explosive device struck their unit.
Filin was assigned as a fighter within the headquarters of the 36th Division and fell during fighting close to the border. The two wounded officers included a colonel serving as the division’s deputy commander and a lieutenant colonel commanding a reserve battalion in Transportation Unit 556. Families of those involved were notified.
The attack took place around 5 p.m. as a foot patrol accompanying the deputy division commander was operating in the Litani region. A preliminary investigation indicated the group was most likely hit by an enemy-planted explosive device, though the full investigation is ongoing. Following the attack, the Israeli military responded by targeting terrorist infrastructure in the vicinity with artillery strikes.
Filin had previously come to public attention in 2016 when he stopped a stabbing attack shortly after finishing basic training. In an interview with Walla at the time, he recounted how a terrorist targeted him and a fellow soldier at a checkpoint near the entrance to Nablus in the West Bank.
