Bereaved parents meet the detained soldier’s father after fatal Lebanon shooting incident

The father of Staff Sgt. Ohad Yaari, who was killed by a stray bullet in Lebanon, met with the father of the commander who is being held on suspicion of firing the shot. The bereaved father gave him a warm hug and called for the commander to be released immediately from detention and for the criminal proceedings to be canceled so he can return to fighting on the front line, while the soldier’s father described his son’s severe feelings of guilt over believing he had failed to protect his subordinate.

The emotional and unusual meeting took place this week between David Yaari, the father of IDF fighter Staff Sgt. Ohad Yaari, who was killed by a stray bullet during an operational activity in Lebanon, and A., the father of the commander suspected of firing and who is now in custody. The report was published today, Thursday, by Ynet.

During the tense and moving meeting, which was intended to convey condolences, the bereaved family surprised those present by embracing the father of the soldier who fired the shot and expressing unequivocal support for his immediate release from detention and his return to combat and command service on the front.

The tragic incident took place in Lebanon, where Staff Sgt. Ohad Yaari was hit by a shot that discharged from his commander’s weapon. Both sides described the event as a serious operational malfunction involving a new weapon that had recently entered IDF use, against the backdrop of prolonged operational tension, high alert, and intense fighting on the northern front.

Following the incident, the Military Police opened an investigation, and the commander who fired the shot was arrested for questioning on suspicion of involvement in the criminal incident, a step that drew fierce opposition from the fallen soldier’s father.

David Yaari, Ohad’s father, said he intends to appear in person at the court hearing on Sunday to ask the military judge to release the commander immediately. In his words, in an interview with Ynet, the commander received the greatest punishment even before the legal process, and will carry the guilt with him for the rest of his life. Therefore, he said, there is no place for criminal proceedings against him, only for operational and technological lessons to be learned.

The bereaved father stressed that the values with which he raised his son were based on strength, contribution to the state, and strengthening the spirit of the fighters, and that the criminal investigation and the detention of soldiers during wartime weaken the IDF and harm the motivation of soldiers on the front.

On the other side, A., the father of the detained commander, described the emotional turmoil his son is experiencing. He has fought continuously since October 7 in the most volatile sectors in Gaza and Lebanon and has also lost friends and commanders. He said his son, who enlisted for full service in the Givati Brigade out of a sense of mission and gave up continuing his studies at a pre-military academy, is deeply anguished and feels he failed in his supreme task, to protect his soldiers, whom he saw as his own children.

The father said his son asked him to convey deep apologies to the bereaved family, and that the fighter fears the army will abandon him and wants to return as soon as possible to his comrades fighting in Lebanon so he can continue defending the country.

The military defense, represented by Maj. (res.) Attorney Wassim Daher, also joined the call to move the handling of the incident from the criminal arena to a command and rehabilitation path. Attorney Daher described the fighter as a model soldier suffering severe trauma from the operational disaster that occurred under complex field conditions, and argued that the proper framework for him at this time is a quick return to military activity.