For 10 days, Talbi was listed as missing while the burning armored vehicle was found by IDF forces and his family could only hope for a miracle. Wounded, he was moved under heavy guard between several militant strongholds deep inside Lebanon. He later said he survived the ordeal through psychological detachment, describing an out-of-body state in which he felt as if he were watching “Efi” from above. He also said one militant, Mohammed al-Sati, showed him human kindness and helped him keep his sanity.
The breakthrough came through intelligence work. The GAD, the mobile unit of Unit 8200, intercepted crucial communications that pointed to the captive’s location. Israeli forces then spotted suspicious movement in an orchard where Talbi was being held, surrounded the area and opened fire. In the chaos, Talbi shouted in Hebrew, “Do not shoot, I am Israeli, I am a prisoner here!”, and was brought out alive without being hit by Israeli fire.
The story did not end there. After Talbi was freed, the IDF captured the militants, including al-Sati. When Talbi saw al-Sati handcuffed, he approached and offered him a cigarette. Talbi said that the gesture later turned against al-Sati, whose comrades accused him of betraying the cell and assaulted him so severely that he fled and later emigrated to Jordan.
Talbi later returned to IDF service, completed the officers’ physical fitness course as the only cadet in his class, and built a family. He now lives in the Galilee, works as a physical education teacher, and is the father of two.
