Bereaved father urges release of soldier detained in Lebanon shooting probe

David Yaari, the father of Sgt. Ohad Yaari, who was killed by a stray bullet in Lebanon, said he plans to go to court and ask for the detained commander to be released. He called the case an "operational mistake," arguing that the officer has already received his punishment "for life" and should be sent back to fighting to defend the country.

Yaari said he wants to tell the judge to free the commander and added, "He should return to combat for the defense of the state." He said the incident should lead to operational lessons, but not to "weaken our soldiers" through arrest and a criminal investigation while fighting continues. Yaari also said he asked the detainee's father to tell his son to "hold his head up." He said that if possible, the family will go to court on Sunday, embrace the soldier, and lift his spirits.

The detained soldier's father said he came to the Yaari family to comfort them and pass on his son's condolences. "I received an amazing hug from the father, the mother and the brothers," he said, adding that his son is "tormented to the depths of his soul" over the tragedy and feels he failed in his mission to protect his soldiers. He said his son enlisted in the Givati Brigade after leaving a pre-military academy when the war began on October 7, wanting to join the fighting.

According to the father, the soldier fought in difficult sectors in Gaza and Lebanon, lost friends and commanders during the war, and intended to continue serving as a volunteer reservist after his release. He said his son wants to return to combat and is struggling to cope with the event. Military defense lawyer Lt. Col. (res.) Adv. Wassim Daher said the case was an "tragic and sad event" during intense fighting in Lebanon, and that "the criminal route is not suitable" here. He urged the army to provide the soldier with "a healthy rehabilitative envelope" and return him quickly to combat.