As the stretcher carrying Sgt. A., a soldier in the 46th Battalion of the 401st Brigade, was lifted onto an evacuation helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa — his head and body covered in burns and shrapnel — he did not believe he would return so quickly to his team.
“I didn’t think I’d make it back this fast,” said A., 19, from Eilat. “But I had no hesitation. I enlisted to be a combat soldier and I want to be here.”
He was wounded earlier this month near the town of Mays al-Jabal, when Hezbollah terrorists fired more than 10 anti-tank missiles at two IDF positions from multiple locations about 7 to 8 kilometers away.
At the time, the IDF said a soldier was seriously wounded and another moderately wounded.
New details from soldiers describe how the tank crew managed to escape after their vehicle was hit and began to burn.
“We felt a massive explosion and the tank filled with thick smoke,” said Cpl. Y., 19, from Kibbutz Evron. “Within seconds we understood what happened, reported we were hit and activated the systems to clear the smoke before we suffocated.”
Y. was not wounded and has since returned to operations as the unit reentered southern Lebanon after a short break.
“We’re all excited and also a bit nervous, but we want to go in and do the job,” he said. “Our mission is to bring quiet to the north.”
He said his family lives in the region and regularly takes shelter from rocket fire. “I know what they go through every night,” he said. “I’m going in knowing I’m protecting them too.”
The tank crew remains short-handed after their commander was seriously wounded in the attack and is undergoing rehabilitation.
Another soldier, Sgt. R. from Kibbutz Megiddo, said he told his parents about the incident only hours later.
“My mother worries, but my father understands and just asked me to stay safe,” he said.
Comparing the fighting arenas, he added with a smile: “As bad as the dust in Gaza is, it’s still better than the mud in Lebanon.”
During a visit to a forward position, sirens interrupted the conversation, sending soldiers running to shelter as several explosions were heard nearby.
Despite the conditions, the soldiers said they remain focused on continuing operations aimed at securing northern communities.