The Israeli army has suffered new losses in the conflict zone in South Lebanon. The army press service reported the deaths of two soldiers.
One of them is 23-year-old Captain Shahar Gamla, who served as deputy company commander in the elite special forces unit “Egoz“. According to Ynet, he was seriously injured in a drone strike on Thursday and died of his wounds in hospital.
21-year-old Sergeant Ohad Yaari of the “Golani“ infantry brigade was killed “during operational activity in South Lebanon“. According to Ynet, the death was caused by a “stray bullet“ and an investigation by the military police is expected soon.
A formal ceasefire between Israel and the Shiite organization “Hezbollah“, whose armed units operate in southern Lebanon, has been in effect since April 17. However, the two sides regularly exchange fire in the border areas along the Lebanese-Israeli border.
Israel, in its efforts to learn more about the US position in negotiations with Iran, has crossed the line in its methods of obtaining the necessary information, The New York Times reported.
It is noted that Israel and the US have long been spying on each other, with both sides being aware of and tolerating each other's intelligence activities. However, the Jewish state has crossed the line in its attempts to obtain information about Washington's position in negotiations with Tehran. US intelligence reports warn the country's leadership that Israel has stepped up its efforts to spy on and collect information about high-ranking US officials, including Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Undersecretary of Defense for Political Affairs Elbridge Colby.
The publication notes that while the US military provides its Israeli counterparts with a wealth of tactical and operational information, the Jewish state is particularly interested in information about US President Donald Trump's strategy in negotiations with Tehran. According to one US official, Israeli espionage has gotten out of control during Trump's second term.
NBC News previously reported that the US Department of Defense is seriously concerned about increased Israeli intelligence activity in the country. As noted, the Pentagon's Intelligence Agency has published a new assessment of the counterintelligence threat, raising the threat level from Israel to “critical“.