The IDF cleared for publication that the 52nd Battalion, under the command of the late Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, was operating to assist additional forces in the effort to destroy the strategic underground infrastructure that Hezbollah built in the Beaufort area over many years. Ben Simhon was killed in southern Lebanon earlier on Friday.
The IDF cleared for publication Friday evening that the 52nd Battalion, under the command of Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, who was killed earlier that day, was tasked with assisting additional forces in destroying strategic underground infrastructure built by Hezbollah in the Beaufort area over many years. The announcement came hours after Hezbollah released a detailed operational account claiming responsibility for the anti-tank guided missile strike that killed Ben Simhon and three other soldiers near the village of Tebnit, north of Beaufort. Ben Simhon was the fourth 52nd Battalion commander to be killed or wounded since the start of the war, as The Zioneer first reported at 09:03 Friday morning.
As The Zioneer reported at 09:03, the IDF earlier Friday released the name and full biography of Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, 32, from Beit Hashita, who took command of the 401st Armored Brigade's 52nd Battalion two months ago after his predecessor, Daniel Ella, was severely wounded by a Hezbollah strike in the same sector. By 16:51 Friday afternoon, Hezbollah published its detailed claim, stating it hit three Merkava tanks with ATGMs near Nabatieh and then shelled the force with artillery, aborting an IDF advance toward the Ali al-Taher ridge. The IDF has not yet commented on Hezbollah's account. The funeral was held at 14:00 Friday at the Beit Hashita cemetery.
The Beaufort area, as The Zioneer has reported throughout the thread, has been a focal point of underground infrastructure built by Hezbollah over years. The IDF statement Friday evening was the first official confirmation that the battalion's mission involved destroying that strategic underground network.
The IDF has not confirmed or denied Hezbollah's detailed operational account of the ambush, including the claim that three tanks were struck and that artillery fire was used to block the advance. The Beineu operational picture remains unclear.
24 developments
- DevelopingIDF says it eliminated dozens of Hezbollah operatives, reveals strategic underground infrastructure near Beaufort
- StrongDefense Minister Katz eulogizes fallen 52nd Battalion commander and three soldiers in Lebanon
- StrongIDF drone tracks Hezbollah operatives emerging from Beaufort tunnel, airstrike kills several
- StrongPresident Herzog: Four soldiers killed in Lebanon combat including 52nd Battalion commander
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