The IDF said late at night that Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimon, commander of Battalion 52, was killed in southern Lebanon. He took command of the battalion on April 20, 2026, about a week after the previous commander was seriously wounded in combat, and led the unit through two months of fighting.
According to the report, Ben Shimon came up through the Armored Corps in the 401st Brigade and spent most of his career in significant command roles there. He later served as head of the Northern Command commander’s office during Operation Northern Arrows, until the return of residents, and left that post in August. After completing a command and staff course, he returned to operational command in April and was appointed battalion commander.
Ben Shimon was married and the father of two daughters. He grew up in a military family, with four brothers who enlisted in the 401st Brigade and another brother who joined Golani Brigade. His wife serves as a combat officer in the Combat Intelligence Collection and Border Corps.
He was killed in battle while leading his troops at the front, together with his tank crew, three other fighters who fell beside him. The military said that until his final moments he acted מתוך a deep sense of mission, responsibility, and commitment to his soldiers and the task, and that his legacy as an “brave, professional, and devoted commander” will remain with his subordinates and all who served with him.
