Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimon’s Final Message to His Soldiers Before the Lebanon Offensive

Minutes before heading into a ground operation in southern Lebanon, Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimon, commander of Battalion 52 in the Iron Tracks Division, spoke personally to his soldiers. He introduced himself by name and family, saying, “I am Dor Ben Shimon, married to Ariel, two daughters, Ayala and Gaia, this is me and that is why I intend to return.”

He then told the troops, “Anyone here, in my view, represents the Israeli fighter, we are entering a strong attack, I trust you. We are going on a mission and returning from it.” The comments, meant to steady and motivate the unit before the operation, later took on a tragic meaning.

On Friday, the IDF authorized publication of his death. Ben Shimon, 32, from Beit Hashita, was killed in combat together with three tank crew members: Staff Sgt. Naveh Habashush, 20, from Geva Binyamin-Adam; Reserve Sgt. Nir Ben Ari, 21, from Kfar Mimon; and Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 20, from Ra’anana.

The incident happened overnight between Thursday and Friday, when an explosive drone struck the battalion commander’s tank in the village of Tebnit in southern Lebanon, north of Beaufort. The hit came at exactly midnight, less than an hour after one of the soldiers had messaged his father that he might be able to come home in the next few days.