Lt. Col. H., from the Yahalom unit-the elite special operations unit of the Combat Engineering Corps-commanded the project to neutralize tunnels in the Beaufort area, tunnels that Hezbollah had planned to use to infiltrate Israel.
He led dozens of major operations in Gaza and Lebanon and is now concluding his tenure.
"In the past, a soldier could complete his military service without ever entering a tunnel. Today, after their training, we try to get them into tunnels as quickly as possible, and there are fighters who have been through hundreds of them in different sectors," Lt. Col. H. said.
He recalled an incident that occurred at the beginning of his tenure in the role.
"On my second day in the position, in the sands of Rafah in Gaza, we entered a tunnel route. Suddenly I received a report of a collapse underground. It wasn't caused by an explosion-it was a structural collapse. The first three soldiers became separated from the rest of the force. It's a feeling of helplessness for those trapped and helplessness for the commander as well. In that incident, we managed to rescue them, and it ended well."
Lt. Col. H. also stated that "the failure of October 7 is etched in our minds.'