Col. Shaul Israeli, commander of the IDF's Armored 7th Brigade, described in an interview how veteran combat engineering operators breached axes all the way to the Litani River under heavy fire, clearing terrain, IEDs, and rock obstacles — an achievement he likened to nuclear engineering. The dozer drivers continued advancing despite Hezbollah observation and direct fire until the blade touched the river. The feat enabled tanks of the 7th Brigade to advance and kill 68 operatives in recent weeks, according to the colonel.
Col. Shaul Israeli, commander of the Armored 7th Brigade, sat for an interview with Israeli journalist Amir Bohbot, recounting one of the most complex missions of the ground maneuver in southern Lebanon: breaching the axes that led to the Litani River. Israeli said he selected the most experienced combat engineering operators for the task, operating D-9 bulldozers (known in the IDF as 'Dubi'). The drive began late at night; the operator and the commander in the forward cabin navigated a narrow mountain path, partly skirting a steep ravine, with the dozer blade extended forward sweeping obstacles — including well-concealed IEDs and boulders when a new route had to be paved. Under constant threats — anti-tank squads in the brush, suicide drone operators, and mortar fire — the operators reached a critical moment when Hezbollah spotters identified the vehicle and opened fire. The operators did not stop and continued until the blade touched the water of the Litani. Looking back, they saw the 7th Brigade's tanks advancing slowly on the route they had just paved. Israeli noted that engineering soldiers of the 603rd Battalion and the brigade's engineering companies rarely receive recognition for their work: simultaneously, they breached the crossings at the Litani and the Saluki rivers, an event he said had never occurred before. He called the warrant officers and engineering managers as important as nuclear engineers. The feat created the conditions for the brigade's advance, which has killed 68 Hezbollah operatives in recent weeks. The full interview with the battalion's company commanders and operators is forthcoming.
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