The IDF reported that Lieutenant Ivri Dickshtein, 21, a platoon commander in the Golani Brigade’s 51st Battalion, from the settlement of Eli, was killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday.
The same incident left another 51st Battalion officer seriously wounded, according to the IDF.
The announcement of Lieutenant Dickshtein's death comes just a day after the military confirmed that six other soldiers from the Golani Brigade's 51t Battalion fell in battle in southern Lebanon.
Dickshtein, who married last year, is survived by his wife, Miriam, his parents, Ilan and Tzofia, and five siblings.
The head of the Binyamin Regional Council said, “We have lost Ivri, a brave officer and one of Binyamin’s finest, who grew up and was educated here, fought heroically and fell defending our people and land. Our hearts are with his wife, Miriam, his parents, Ilan and Tzofia, and the entire family. We also stand by the residents of Eli. The Eli community, along with all of Binyamin, is at the forefront of this struggle, paying a painful price for Israel’s resilience in its homeland.”
In the same community, near Lieutenant Dickshtein’s family, live the parents of Captain Shilo Rauchberger, who fell in the October 7 battles, and Captain Roy Beit Yaakov, who was killed in Gaza after being struck by friendly fire.
Addressing the ongoing combat in Lebanon, the IDF said, “Since last night, we’ve had five engagements. We have mapped out plans for the coming weeks, and we hope to see alignment between military operations and diplomatic efforts, as coordination is critical.”
The military also commented on the challenges of urban combat against Hezbollah fighters, noting, “We analyze each engagement, conducting learning sessions across units. Fighting in built-up areas is complex, but the number of casualties within structures remains relatively low compared to the number of targets achieved.”
Current ground operations are primarily focused within five to six kilometers of the border, along the western and eastern sectors of southern Lebanon. “Infiltrations from Lebanon into the Galilee could occur years from now,” the IDF cautioned, clarifying statements made by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who declared that Hezbollah has been beaten.
“We enter areas where airstrikes alone yield only partial results, such as underground complexes between buildings housing advanced weaponry. We won’t reach every mortar, but we are working to distance and degrade the enemy as much as possible. Progress is on track.”
The 51st Battalion
The Golani Brigade's 51st Battalion has lost seven soldiers over the past 48 hours, bringing the battalion’s total combat losses to 41 since the outbreak of the war. Thirty of these casualties occurred on October 7, when 51st Battalion fighters were tasked with securing the area between Kibbutz Re’im and Kibbutz Magen. In these intense battles, soldiers confronted hundreds of terrorists at several points, including the Erez crossing and Kisufim, Mars and Moaf South outposts.
The Golani Brigade sustained the heaviest losses of any IDF unit in fighting that day, with 73 soldiers killed on the morning of October 7 alone and a total of 109 fallen since the start of the war.
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51st Battalion's Sergeant Yoav Daniel, Sergeant Shalev Itzhak Sagron, Staff Sergeant Sraya Elbom, Staff Sergeant Nir Gofer, Staff Sergeant Dror Hen and Captain Itay Marcovich fell in southern Lebanon combat on Wednesday
(Photo: IDF)
The 51st Battalion, historically involved in all of Israel’s wars, originally belonged to the Givati Brigade and was integrated into the Golani Brigade in 1956. This current war has inflicted the highest casualties in the battalion’s history. The battalion’s most notable battle occurred at Bint Jbeil during the 2006 Lebanon War, where nine soldiers, including Deputy Battalion Commander Major Roi Klein, were killed. Klein famously sacrificed himself by leaping onto a grenade to save his team.
Seventeen soldiers from the battalion were awarded medals for bravery in that battle, with an additional unit-wide citation from then-Northern Command Chief Gadi Eisenkot, recognizing the soldiers’ courage in advancing under fire, rescuing injured comrades and achieving operational success despite heavy bombardment. Known as the “First Breakthrough Battalion,” the 51st was praised for its professionalism, comradeship and commitment to combat.
The battalion has received three commendations in total. The first, from then-Northern Command Chief Benny Gantz in 2002, honored its role in Operation Defensive Shield. The latest, from then-Southern Command Chief Yoav Gallant in 2008, recognized the battalion’s extended combat in Gaza. The commendation highlighted exemplary conduct, bravery and resilience that led to victories in all encounters with enemy forces.
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