Funeral held in Israel for soldier killed by drone in southern Lebanon

(1 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Ashkelon, Israel - 1 June 2026 1. Mourners with Israeli flags arriving at funeral of Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin, 21-years-old 2. Family members arriving 3. Wide of mourners at funeral 4. Soldiers carrying coffin covered by an Israeli flag 5. Various of soldiers at funeral 6. Mourners at funeral 7. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Ella Bassowitz, aunt of Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin: "Five and a half years ago, you immigrated to Israel with your small family, full of hope, courage, and the desire to build your life here. We all knew how strong you were, not just physically, but also mentally. You always sought closeness, always wanted to advance, improve, and reach further, in sports, in military service, and everywhere you went." 8. Wide of funeral 9. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Ella Bassowitz, aunt of Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin: "Although you were an only child, it was important for you to serve in an elite unit, to take part and defend the country you chose without hesitation." 10. Mourners at funeral 11. Various of Tyukin's mother and his friend at funeral 12. Soldiers shooting in the air STORYLINE: Mourners on Monday attended the funeral of an Israeli soldier killed by a drone in southern Lebanon on Saturday night. Staff Sergeant Michael Tyukin, 21, from Ashkelon, was a fighter in the Givati brigade. He was an only child who moved from Ukraine with his mother in 2020. 26 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in Lebanon or northern Israel, along with two civilians in northern Israel, since the fighting began on March 2 - most by drones. Israel has updated its guidelines for civilians in northern Israel, including canceling schools for communities along the border and limiting large gatherings of people, due to concerns over the threat of Hezbollah projectiles.  Hezbollah's use of hard-to-detect fiber optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military. The latest attacks came despite a nominal ceasefire that has been in place since April 17 and just before Lebanon and Israel hold their next round of direct talks in Washington starting Tuesday. Hezbollah has rejected direct talks, counting on pressure from Iran, which has demanded an end to the war in Lebanon in its talks with Washington. The talks between officials from Israel and Lebanon, which began in April in Washington D.C., were the first in more than three decades between the countries. The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. AP video shot by Ami Bentov =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: [email protected]. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...