The IDF identified on Thursday morning Sergeant Gur Kehati, 20, from Nir Banim, as one of two people killed in a clash with Hezbollah terrorists at an archaeological fortress in southern Lebanon. Kehati, a soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, died alongside Ze’ev “Jabo” Erlich, a 70-year-old historian and geographer known for his research on the Land of Israel.
The incident also left a 13th Battalion officer seriously wounded and Golani Brigade Chief of Staff Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom moderately wounded. Yarom, who lost a leg in combat in Lebanon as a young officer, was present at the site, which lies 5-6 kilometers from the border and overlooks Tyre and Lebanon’s coastal plain.
The clash occurred Wednesday afternoon in an area under IDF control since earlier operations, according to the military. Yarom and Erlich, armed and wearing protective gear but classified by the IDF as a civilian, were reportedly surveying the fortress near a mosque when two Hezbollah terrorists, who had been hiding there for days, opened fire at close range.
The IDF said that Erlich’s presence at the site violated military orders and classified the event as a “serious and unusual incident.” The military has launched an investigation into the circumstances of Erlich’s entry into Lebanon and his involvement in the operation.
Erlich’s family disputes the IDF’s claim that he entered Lebanon as a civilian. “Contrary to the IDF spokesperson’s claims, we clarify that Jabo was enlisted and treated in the field as a soldier,” his brother, Yigal Amitai, told Ynet. “He was fully recognized as a soldier, entering Lebanon with the IDF’s approval and accompaniment, albeit for archaeological research, as he always did in Judea and Samaria.”
Erlich was a prominent figure in Israeli historical and geographical research, particularly in Judea and Samaria, the biblical names for the different regions of the West Bank. He authored several publications, including Samaria and Benjamin and Judea and Samaria Studies, and was one of the founders of the settlement of Ofra. He is survived by his wife, Tamar, six children and grandchildren.
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