IDF Colonel Reflects on Deadly Lebanon Operation Involving Journalist Ze’ev Erlich

Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom, the IDF officer who approved the ill-fated reconnaissance mission into southern Lebanon that resulted in the deaths of IDF soldier Gur Kehati and renowned journalist Ze’ev “Jabo” Hanoch Erlich, spoke publicly for the first time on Channel 12’s Uvda program. The televised interview with journalist Chen Lieberman offered a sobering glimpse into the decisions behind one of Israel’s most controversial incidents of the ongoing war.

Yarom, who has served in numerous complex operations throughout his career, called the mission “the most difficult” he has ever dealt with. “There’s one persistent thought that maybe I could have done things differently,” he said. “But at the time, I believed there was operational value in bringing him in.”

Erlich, a familiar face among IDF units, had long been embedded with Israeli forces in Judea and Samaria. According to Yarom, his access to military operations was widely known and coordinated with senior IDF command. “I didn’t bring in a professor from the University of Haifa,” he said. “He wasn’t just some civilian I happened to take with me.”

Yarom pushed back on the idea that bringing Erlich into Lebanon was more dangerous than his prior missions in the West Bank. “Why do you think that going into the Kasbah in Nablus at night is safer than Jafar Shama in Lebanon?” he asked. “Any given night in the Nablus Kasbah carries far greater risk.”

He was also clear in assuming responsibility, saying, “I don’t place the blame on anyone else. It’s not about avoiding accountability.” Erlich’s activities, he noted, were openly coordinated in WhatsApp groups and routinely approved by senior commanders. “Clearly, the organization saw value in him.”

During the current war, Yarom said Erlich was not permitted to enter Gaza at all, and only a single exception was made for him to accompany forces into Maroun al-Ras in Lebanon.

The deaths of Erlich and Kehati have sparked a national conversation about the role of civilian journalists in combat zones. Erlich’s supporters hail his fearless documentation of Israel’s military efforts, while critics argue that clearer rules and stricter oversight are needed to prevent future tragedies.

As the IDF continues to investigate the mission, Yarom’s remarks reveal the often painful decisions military leaders must make balancing transparency, operational impact, and above all, human life.

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