IDF soldier killed, two wounded in same incident • Ze’ev Erlich, 70, entered Lebanon with forces without authorization from Northern Command
An Israeli civilian who was brought into a southern Lebanese warzone was killed by enemy fire Wednesday, Binyamin Regional Council announced Wednesday evening.
The Jerusalem Post understands that the civilian was brought into Lebanon unlawfully.
The military confirmed later on Wednesday that Ze’ev ‘Jabo’ Hanoch Erlich, 70, from Ofra had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon.
In the same incident that Erlich fell, an additional soldier was killed, and an officer of the Golani Brigade was seriously wounded. He was evacuated to the hospital for further medical care.
Erlich was a known tour guide and an archaeological expert of the Land of Israel. In the same incident, an IDF soldier was killed, and two more were wounded.
Preliminary details show an officer from one IDF battalion fighting in Lebanon brought Erlich into Lebanon despite not receiving the appropriate permit to do so from officers in the Northern Command.
Israeli researcher Ze’ev Erlich seen in IDF uniform before entering into southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border with Lebanon, November 20, 2024 (credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)Further, the initial understanding was that the embedded civilian’s presence was related to a nearby archaeological site in southern Lebanon near which Israeli forces had been operating.
Reactions to his death
Yisrael Gantz, Head of the Binyamin Regional Council, said, “We are shocked by Erlich’s passing. A man whose name was a symbol of knowledge and love of the land. He was one of the pioneers of settlement and a pillar of the Ofra settlement.
“Thousands who love this land will continue to grow up on the findings and insights he brought to the world out of great affection for the Holy Land, its heritage and the history of the Jewish people there. We share in the heavy sorrow of dear Tamar and the Erlich family and embrace the Ofra community.”
