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Widow of soldier killed by Lebanese sniper: It could have been prevented

Maayan Cohen, who lost her husband Shlomi in border shooting perpetrated by Lebanese soldier, slams IDF conduct, says 'I asked everything I could about the case; nothing was done. I'm left to raise our child on my own'

"My husband's death could have been prevented, but unfortunately, nothing was done," said Maayan Cohen, the widow of Petty Officer 1st Class Shlomi Cohen, who was killed Sunday night near Rosh HaNikra in Western Galilee, most likely by Lebanese soldier's gunfire.

 

"I have no more questions about what happened. I already asked everything," she said. 

 

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Maayan and Shlomi married three years ago, and she will now raise their 11-month-old daughter on her own.

 

Shlomi Cohen, a 31-year-old Navy Master Sergeant from the northern city of Afula, was shot to death while driving an IDF vehicle near a military outpost in Rosh HaNikra.

 

An IDF investigation indicated that he drove in an non-armored car and left himself exposed to the Lebanese side of the border.

 

Maayan, the widowed wife, told Ynet she and her husband had met in the army. "He was my commander and I was his soldier. At first we were good friends and afterwards we became a couple. We lived together for five-and-a-half years and then got married.

 

"I am left with a child that I need to raise on my own. On Sunday, city officer soldiers came and told me that Shlomi is dead."

 

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said today during a visit to the Jordan Valley that according to the findings of the Lebanese military investigation passed on to Israel, the shooter is a recalcitrant soldier who left his post, reached within tens of meters from the fence and opened fire towards Cohen's vehicle.

 

The Lebanese soldier was arrested, interrogated and, according to the Lebanese army, will be punished accordingly.

 

After the incident, Cohen's relatives slammed IDF conduct: "If we hear that it (the incident) took place near the perimeter fence while he was alone, without a flak jacket and no backup support, it's very bad. We are pain-stricken and will demand an investigation."

 

On Tuesday night, Security Council strongly condemned the shooting incident that killed Cohen.

 

The council's condemnation of the event stated that the case involved a breach of agreements along the northern border.

 

On Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon vehemently slammed the incident.

 

Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosor urged the United Nations to impose liability for the incident on the Lebanese army.

 

Yoav Zitun, Yitzhak Benhorin contributed to this report

 

 

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פרסום ראשון: 12.17.13, 22:38
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