At a thanksgiving ceremony marking a miraculous rescue, held today (Monday) at the high yeshiva in Eli, Rabbi Yehuda Sadan, head of the yeshiva, described the drone strike incident in Lebanon. The event was attended by his father, Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the Bnei David institutions, Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, Rabbi Akiva Kashtiel, Rabbi Rafi Lampert, and other rabbis.
At the beginning of his remarks, Rabbi Yehuda described the Sabbath that preceded the incident and the special atmosphere among the soldiers: “We arrived at a new and impressive house, it was a very uplifting Shabbat night."
After Shabbat, a decision was made to bring additional equipment into the field despite the known risk. He said one of the trucks was carrying a large quantity of explosives intended for operational activity, when suddenly a drone appeared and approached the force.
Rabbi Yehuda described how the first drone was neutralized after becoming entangled in a cable, but the incident did not end there. “We brought down one drone like that, got onto the humvees to advance toward it, and then they told us: come, come, drone."
He then described the pursuit of the drone and the attempt to reach cover: “You really understand it’s chasing you. It’s not simple to run, because everything is holes and rocks, and you can easily break arms and legs." The force ran toward a nearby building in an attempt to take cover.
He emphasized what he called a “chain of miracles" during the incident. “The first miracle was that it didn’t hit the explosives truck. It was clear to us that everything was aimed at the truck. It saw us on the way and got confused. It couldn’t give up the strike, but in the end it changed direction."
The most dramatic moment came when the drone exploded near the building where the soldiers were sheltering. “I was in the stairwell. I was thrown with my protective vest and helmet. I open my eyes, hear screams. I thought everyone around me was injured. I checked myself and couldn’t understand how, but aside from ringing in my ears and everything black, I was okay."
After the explosion, forces began treating the many wounded. Rabbi Yehuda said even the doctor and two medics were injured, making treatment more difficult. “Only one medic remained, but the doctor was very calm. He treated himself and continued managing the event."
He also described evacuation efforts under difficult conditions: “Everything around collapsed. You see wounded people and don’t always know their condition. We had to evacuate everyone as quickly as possible."
One of the difficult tasks was carrying the wounded to vehicles: “Some people weigh over 100 kilos, and the stretcher is broken. You don’t understand how to get them out, but in the end you realize you must and you keep going."
He concluded by describing the wait for aerial evacuation: “After about 35 minutes a helicopter arrived. They managed to load four wounded, and from there the evacuation and treatment continued." He said the fact that the incident did not end in a greater disaster remained, for him, evidence of divine protection and the miracle they had come to mark at the thanksgiving ceremony: “God spread His wings over me and kept them alive. A great feeling of gratitude to God and providence."