The IDF announced on Friday that four soldiers were killed while fighting in southern Lebanon, with the commander of the 52nd Battalion, 401st Brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, aged 32, among the fallen troops.
At approximately 00:20 a suspicious object struck a tank belonging to Battalion 52 forces under the Givati Brigade who were operating in the area of the village of Tebnit, the IDF reports.
The incident is under investigation.
Lt. Col. Ben Simhon had taken over command of Battalion 52 from Lt. Col. Y on April 20, 2026, after Lt. Col. Y was seriously wounded in southern Lebanon.
While the military said that all the families were notified, the names of the other three fallen soldiers have not yet been revealed.
Responses to Lt. Col. Ben Simhon's death
Lieutenant Colonel Dor was married and the father of two daughters.
He came from a family of combat soldiers, he and four of his brothers enlisted in the 401st Brigade, while another brother enlisted in the Golani Brigade. His wife serves as a combat officer in the Combat Intelligence Collection and Border Defense Corps.
Kibbutz Beit Hashita, Lt. Col. Dor's home, and a kibbutz that has been identified over the years with significant service in the Israeli Army, said in a statement that "When the need arose, Lieutenant Colonel Dor stepped up and accepted command of the battalion during some of the most difficult moments of the fighting."
They described him a detremined and responsible leader who was always willing to step up to a challenge.
The Gilboa Regional Council also put out a statement, saying "The Gilboa Regional Council bows its head, grieves and salutes
upon the fall in battle of Lieutenant Colonel Dor Ben Simhon, commander of the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Brigade, who fell tonight in combat on the frontline along with three of his tank crew members."
They described him as having "led his fighters with determination, supreme courage and extraordinary responsibility."
Lapid shares condolences with fallen soldiers' families
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also reacted to the four soldiers' deaths, mourning their loss and expressing condolences to their families.
"The heart breaks with the news," he wrote in a post on X/Twitter. "Endless pain. I share in the family's grief from the depths of my heart. May their memory be blessed."
Democrats MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv also mourned the fallen soldiers, stating that "The heroism of the fighters and our eternal debt to them compel us to also say things as they are."
"The role of the IDF is to win on the battlefield. The role of the government is to translate the IDF's strength into diplomatic moves that will prevent the need to return to the battlefield time and again," he continued.
"We owe this to the soldiers and commanders, to the children and grandchildren of us all."
