An Israeli reservist who held dual citizenship with the United States was killed by a Hezbollah missile strike in northern Israel on Thursday.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, Staff Sgt. Omer Balva, a 22-year-old reserve soldier died as a result of an anti-tank missile attack that originated in Lebanon.
Who was Omer Balva?
Omer Balva was 22 years old. He was a commander in the Alexandroni Brigade’s 9203rd Battalion and was from Herzliya.
As reported by the Times of Israel, Balva was born to Israeli parents but raised in Rockville, Maryland, where he went to the Charles E. Smith Jewish day school.
Balva was called into reserve duty last week when he was in the US. According to the report, he quickly took out again for Israel to report for duty.
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Increased clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, have raised tensions along the Israeli-Lebanon border in recent days. Growing worries have been raised about the possibility of an additional front in Israel’s fight in addition to the current confrontation with Hamas.
Israel Defense Forces and militants from Hezbollah fought each other on Saturday along Lebanon’s northern border. The night before, terrorists fired anti-tank rockets into Israeli territory, setting off the battle.
According to the Israeli military, a guided anti-tank missile was fired at the northern Israeli town of Margaliot from Lebanon. The terrorist squad was the target of a drone strike carried out by the IDF in retaliation.
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After Hamas, an Islamic organization, ruthlessly killed at least 1,400 Israeli civilians and abducted an estimated 210 more, he was among the approximately 360,000 Israeli reservists who were called into action on October 7.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) claims to have carried out several human and unmanned airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon in retaliation for the group’s missile strikes.
