Israel bids farewell to IDF major killed in Lebanon
Israel bid farewell to IDF Major Harel Birenstock, killed in Lebanon. He was buried on Mount Herzl. In the same incident, Sergeant First Class Tomer Vaknin was killed and four others were wounded. The IDF struck the area, but an expansion of the operation was not approved.
Hundreds of Israelis gathered at the military cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem to bid farewell to Major Harel Birenstock, a 34-year-old reserve officer and father of four, who was killed in southern Lebanon. He commanded a company in the 2855th Battalion of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade. In the same incident, reserve Sergeant First Class Tomer Vaknin, a combat paramedic, was also killed. Four other soldiers were seriously wounded. According to the initial investigation, the troops were in an area where terrorists had concealed an explosive device that detonated. Following the incident, the IDF carried out a series of strikes in the area that continued throughout the night. The IDF pushed for an expansion of the operation, but the political leadership refused. Lebanese sources reported strikes in the Al-Mansouri and Burj al-Shamali areas, as well as artillery strikes on Ali Taher. At the funeral, the widow Elia and the parents delivered emotional eulogies, remembering Harel as a man full of life.