Friend of Fallen Israeli Soldier Yehuda Katz Recalls Lebanon Battle After 44 Years

Rabbi Yosef Yaguda, who studied and served alongside Yehuda Katz in the armored corps, shared his memories of the 1982 Lebanon War in an interview with 103FM. Katz, who was killed in action, was recently repatriated to Israel after 44 years. Yaguda described Katz as a special figure, both a dedicated scholar and a friendly person, whose memory remains deeply etched in him.

The two met at Kerem B'Yavneh Yeshiva and enlisted together in the armored corps through a combined religious and military program. At the time of the First Lebanon War, they were 22 to 23 years old and still considered reserve soldiers while completing their studies. Yaguda recounted the intense night battle near Sultan Yaakov, where their tank convoy was ambushed between two hills on the Beirut-Damascus road.

During the fierce fighting, Katz’s tank was hit at dawn. Yaguda recalled hearing the explosion and seeing the loader ejected from the tank, who despite being wounded survived by joining another vehicle. The battle included close-quarters combat, including a confrontation with a Syrian soldier who climbed onto their tank. Yaguda reflected that Katz’s return home "closes the prayers we prayed for him to come back or at least to be brought to an Israeli grave," though it also revived painful memories of that night.

The interview highlights the personal toll and lasting impact of the 1982 conflict, known in Israel as Operation Peace for Galilee, and honors the memory of fallen soldiers like Yehuda Katz.