The IDF reported on Friday morning that Master Sergeant (Res.) Valeri Chefonov, 33, from Netanya, a vehicle officer of the 228th Brigade's 9308th Battalion, was killed the day before by a Hezbollah drone strike in the western Galilee. He was laid to rest at the Netanya military cemetery. The army death toll since October 7 has reached 682.
Dr. Khaled Attalla, head of the emergency medicine department at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, provided an update: "The injured arrived with shrapnel wounds to his upper body, with advanced resuscitation efforts already underway in the field. Upon arrival, he was taken to the trauma room, where we continued resuscitation efforts, but unfortunately, we had to pronounce his death."
On Thursday, after several minutes of continuous sirens across the upper and western Galilee, the IDF reported that multiple drones had crossed from Lebanon and crashed in the sector, with residents reporting "numerous explosions."
Footage from Kibbutz Kabri, near Nahariya, showed damaged vehicles and a house with a hole in its roof. Fragments of a Hezbollah drone were also found near the impact site. The terrorist organization later claimed responsibility for the drone attack in Kabri, citing it as a response to "Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon."
The army added that air defenses successfully intercepted several aerial targets heading toward Israel from Lebanon, following the activation of sirens in the upper Galilee.
Also on Thursday, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi held a situational assessment and commanders' meeting at the Galilee Division on the Lebanese border, along with Northern Command head Major General Ori Gordin and Galilee Division Commander Brigadier General Shai Kalper.
Damage in Kibbutz Kabri after Hezbollah drone attack
(Video: Nahum Segal)
Later, the IDF chief visited the Lebanon border town of Metula and met with Mayor David Azulay and other representatives to discuss the current situation and the importance of the military's relationship with local authorities and residents.
"When your enemy is struggling, do not relent, make it even harder for them. We are intensifying our efforts to dismantle more targets and to improve our chances of bringing back the hostages under favorable conditions," Halevi said. "This is a very significant matter. The targeted killings are crucial and are causing significant difficulties for them."
"I believe the command, the divisions, the entire system, including the Air Force and Military Intelligence, are doing an excellent job identifying and striking targets. Perhaps we are doing something else well now, but it is predicated on the condition that we have strong defense here."