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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Officer dismissed as IDF blames deadly Egypt border attack on easily opened gate |
| 2023-06-14 |
Details of the investigation, most of which have been reported previously, can be read at the link. [IsraelTimes] Military probe says emergency gate used by gunman was unknown to soldiers stationed in area; officers to shorten 12-hour guard shifts, prioritize preparing for potential attacksA senior officer will be removed from his position and several others will be formally censured for their part in the circumstances that enabled a deadly border attack by an Egyptian gunman earlier this month that claimed the lives of three soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that an investigation had found a number of contributing factors to the attack: an easily opened small emergency gate on the border barrier was unknown to troops stationed in the area; an over-prioritization of drug smuggling incidents; and excessively lengthy guard shifts. The investigation, carried out by Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano and the commander of the 80th Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, was presented to IDF chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Tuesday. The investigation was also presented to the families of Staff Sgt. Ori Yitzhak Iluz, 20, Staff Sgt. Ohad Dahan, 20, and Sgt. Lia Ben Nun, 19, troops of the Bardelas and Caracal battalions who were killed by the renegade Egyptian policeman in the attack and subsequent festivities on June 3 in which the assailant was killed. The Bardelas and Caracal mixed-gender light infantry battalions are part of the IDF’s Border Defense Corps, and geographically subordinate to the Paran Territorial Brigade, which is part of the 80th "Edom" Territorial Division in the Southern Command. The IDF said that Cohen, the commander of the 80th Division, will be formally reprimanded for his "overall responsibility for the event, including the lack of control over the implementation of the procedures." Col. Ido Sa’ad, the commander of the Paran Brigade, will be dismissed from his role and moved to another position in the IDF, for his "overall responsibility for the event and the manner by which operations are carried out in his area." The IDF noted that Sa’ad did act correctly when it came to engaging with and killing the Egyptian attacker. Lt. Col. Ivan Kon, the commander of the Bardelas Battalion, will be formally reprimanded for his "responsibility for the implementation of the operating concept in his forces." He will additionally be denied a promotion for five years, the IDF said. In order to deliver the report quickly, Toledano and Cohen’s investigation had a particularly narrow scope, focusing mostly on troops’ conduct during the attack and subsequent festivities with the gunman. Halevi has meanwhile appointed Maj. Gen. Nimrod Aloni — who is set to enter the position of head of the IDF’s Depth Corps and Military Colleges in the coming months — to lead an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack, with a focus on the "systemic" failures and the "perception of defense of peaceful borders." Related: Bardelas: 2023-06-12 At least 19 Zionist soldiers injured in Negev desert bus accident Bardelas: 2023-06-10 After Egyptian border attack, Bardelas Battalion soldiers refuse to work under current conditions Bardelas: 2023-06-06 Egyptian cop who killed IDF troops is named, said to have griped about border duty |
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