Politics Israeli historian killed during field study in southern Lebanon

A historian of Jewish life in the region who is well-known in Israel was killed during a field study in southern Lebanon during a firefight.

Zeev Erlich, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, was visiting an old fortress north of the border on Wednesday when the group was ambushed in the supposedly secure area, Israeli media reported.

One Israeli soldier was killed in the firefight with Hezbollah militia fighters and two others were injured, the army confirmed. Two Hezbollah fighters were also killed.

It was unclear why the 71-year-old historian was allowed into the combat zone. The army reported that Erlich had been in Lebanon as a civilian without authorization from the highest authorities, according to the news portal Ynet. His family denied this. He had been in Lebanon as a reserve major. The army said on request that the incident was being investigated.

SDA