IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, 20 years after being severely wounded in the Battle of Wadi Saluki, described his decades-long struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Defrin called PTSD a 'transparent wound' and urged Israeli soldiers not to be ashamed to seek help.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, critically wounded in the 2006 Battle of Wadi Saluki, gave his first public account of the psychological trauma that followed. In remarks published Sunday morning, Defrin described the wound as 'transparent' — invisible to others but deeply affecting — and said he spent years suppressing the mental injury. He said he realized too late that he needed help and urged soldiers: 'If you are brave, don't be ashamed to ask for help.' Defrin, who has served as the military's chief spokesperson since 2025, has been a prominent voice on security issues. His personal disclosure adds to a growing public conversation about PTSD among Israeli soldiers.
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