52nd Battalion Deputy Commander Says Unit Will Keep Fighting After Fatal Combat Losses

After the deaths of Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimhon and three tank crew members, the deputy commander of Battalion 52 sent a letter to soldiers and their families saying the unit would continue its mission despite the heavy grief. Maj. A., deputy commander of the Golani Brigade's Battalion 52, known as “The Breachers,” addressed the battalion after Ben Shimhon and tank crew Sgt. Naveh Havshush, Sgt. Yoav Klein and Sgt. Liav Kebabia were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon.

He wrote that the past days were among the hardest the battalion has known. “We lost our battalion commander and dear fighters who fell in battle. The pain is immense, the void is enormous, and all our hearts are with the bereaved families,” he said.

Maj. A. said the soldiers had also carried out a crucial task by recovering their fallen comrades. “Alongside the pain, we carried out the most important mission we could have undertaken, to bring our friends home,” he wrote. “After many efforts and under complex conditions, we succeeded in extracting the bodies from the battlefield and bringing them for burial in Israel.” He said the battalion would stand in their memory on the day of the funerals and promised their “legacy, spirit and example” would continue to guide them.

He added that the operational mission would go on: “This is a moment of mourning, but also a moment of unity. The battalion is strong, the mission continues, and we will keep fighting with all our strength, with responsibility, professionalism and comradeship, until we are stopped, and as long as we are needed for any mission.” He also thanked the families for their support, saying they were carrying part of the burden through their concern, uncertainty and ongoing tension, and ended with the battalion’s slogan: “Heads held high we will return from our mission, after battles soaked in blood, as victors we will raise our flag, we are the Breachers.”