A 71-year-old Israeli civilian was killed Wednesday along with a soldier during a gun battle with Hezbollah operatives, after entering southern Lebanon without the required approvals while accompanied by a senior IDF officer.
In a separate incident, an IDF reservist was killed when a damaged building collapsed during an early morning operation in southern Lebanon.
According to an initial IDF probe, the chief of staff of the Golani Brigade, Col. Yoav Yarom, allowed Israeli researcher Zeev Erlich, 71, to enter the western sector of southern Lebanon to examine an archaeological site — an ancient fortress.
Despite the belief that the area had been cleared, two Hezbollah operatives were hiding at the site and opened fire at the researcher, senior officer, and other soldiers who were accompanying them.
Erlich and a soldier, who will be named later, were killed in the incident.
Col. Yoav Yarom, the Golani Brigade’s chief of staff who was accompanying Erlich, was moderately wounded in the gun battle with the Hezbollah operatives. A company commander with the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion was also seriously wounded in the same incident.
Israeli researcher Ze’ev Erlich seen in IDF uniform before entering into southern Lebanon on November 20, 2024, hours before he was killed in a gun battle with Hezbollah operatives. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Erlich had entered southern Lebanon while armed and in IDF uniform, despite apparently not being an active duty soldier or in reserves.
The two Hezbollah gunmen were killed, according to an IDF probe. The IDF has retroactively recognized Erlich as a major in reserves, despite him not being on active duty when he was killed. His entry to southern Lebanon is under investigation by the IDF.
The slain soldier in the separate incident was named as Sgt. First Class (res.) Eitan Ben Ami, 22, of the Maglan commando unit, from Jerusalem.
Another soldier was wounded by the collapse and was rescued.
Sgt. First Class (res.) Eitan Ben Ami. (Courtesy: Israel Defense Forces)
According to an initial IDF probe, the commandos were walking through a damaged building in a southern Lebanon village, when it suddenly collapsed.
The building had been previously damaged by Israeli strikes on the area, and the IDF believes that it collapsed due to the harsh weather conditions. The IDF has ruled out the possibility that the building was booby-trapped or was hit by enemy fire that led it to collapse.
Since October 8, 2023, 71 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September. Two soldiers have been killed in a drone attack from Iraq, and there have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
‘A bible in one pocket, a map in another’
Erlich, a tour guide and historian who was particularly well-known in the West Bank settler community, was eulogized by national religious leaders on Wednesday night.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he was pained by the loss, remembering Erlich’s work that “uncovered the secrets of the great land through love and passion for it.”
“Zeev contributed much to the security of the country. Senior officers helped him over the years in analyzing and understanding the region and its importance for ongoing security and operations,” he wrote on X.
זאב ארליך לא היה סתם עוד מומחה.
הוא היה הסיפור של כולנו.בן 71 עם אנרגיה של נער בן 17.
היה לו סיפור לכל אבן. היסטוריה בכל שביל. תנ”ך בכיס האחד, מפה בשני. בבית ספר שדה עפרה, שבין מקימיו נמנה, הוא לימד אלפים איך לקרוא את הארץ הזאת כמו ספר פתוח.
בגיל שבו אחרים יושבים בכורסה עם… pic.twitter.com/MJz0FLJjTi
— ????????עמיחי אליהו – Amichay Eliyahu (@Eliyahu_a) November 20, 2024
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said Erlich was “71-years-old with the energy of a 17-year-old teenager.”
“He had a story for every rock. History for every path. A bible in one pocket, a map in another,” Eliyahu posted on X.
The Yesha Council, an umbrella organization representing settlement municipal authorities in the West Bank, praised Erlich’s research of geography, archeology, and history in the area, calling him a “living legend.”
“For many years he volunteered and assisted soldiers in different areas to understand the villages and sites,” the council said in a statement.
For months since October 8, 2023, Hezbollah-led forces attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
Hezbollah has since expanded its attacks to also target cities in central and northern Israel with rockets, in addition to the attacks on the border, though in recent days the IDF has seen a decrease in the number of attacks.
Some 60,000 residents were evacuated from northern towns on the Lebanon border shortly after Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, amid fears Hezbollah would carry out a similar attack, and increasing rocket fire by the terror group. The attacks on northern Israel since October 2023 have resulted in the deaths of 44 civilians.
The IDF estimates that some 3,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the conflict. Around 100 members of other terror groups, along with hundreds of civilians, have also been reported killed in Lebanon.
