President Isaac Herzog said Friday Israel awoke to the bitter news of four soldiers fallen in Lebanon, including Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, commander of the 52nd Battalion (401st Armored Brigade). Ben Simhon took command of the battalion after his predecessor was severely wounded, Herzog said.
President Isaac Herzog issued a statement Friday morning (10:42 Jerusalem) reacting to the combat deaths of four Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, including Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, the commander of the 52nd Battalion (401st Armored Brigade). Herzog described a 'difficult and painful morning,' noting that Ben Simhon assumed command of the battalion after his predecessor, Lt. Col. Y., was severely wounded in combat about two months ago. 'Since then, he led his fighters on the front with determination and responsibility,' the president said.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Friday (09:45 Jerusalem), Lt. Col. Ben Simhon — the fourth commander of the 52nd Battalion killed since October 7 — and three soldiers were killed in a tank strike near Tebnine. The IDF is investigating whether the munition was an anti-tank missile or an explosive drone. His funeral is set for 14:00 at Beit HaShita cemetery.
The sequence of senior-officer losses in the armored brigade has been a recurring theme in southern Lebanon operations: as The Zioneer reported on Thu Jun 18 (09:36 Jerusalem), a soldier was killed by a Hezbollah IED and the deputy division commander wounded in a separate incident. On Sun Jun 7 (08:07 Jerusalem), two soldiers were killed and four wounded in the area. The 52nd Battalion alone has lost commanders at a rate unparalleled since the start of the war, reflecting the intensity of close-quarters combat against Hezbollah in the security zone.
As of the latest update, the IDF's probe into the exact munition type — a suspicious target struck their tank near the village of Tebnit at around 00:20 — remains under investigation and has not been definitively determined.
8 developments
- StrongDefense Minister Katz eulogizes fallen 52nd Battalion commander and three soldiers in Lebanon
- DevelopingPM Netanyahu: 'Nation's heart aches' after four soldiers killed in Lebanon
- StrongIDF names fourth soldier killed alongside 52nd Battalion commander in southern Lebanon
- StrongIDF appoints fifth acting commander for 52nd Battalion since war began
Source and signal
- Internal intake