The commander of the Agoz unit lied about a fire caused by his soldiers - and was dismissed from the IDF

Lt. Col. Ephraim Tahila lied in an official investigation after his soldiers threw an explosive brick against instructions and caused a fire. Chief of Staff Kochavi decided in response that Tahila would no longer hold positions in the IDF, but would serve in the security system until his retirement. "He acted against the values ​​of the IDF, but His combat past cannot be ignored"

Amir Bohbot

02/10/2022

Sunday, October 02, 2022, 4:08 p.m. Updated: 5:21 p.m.

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share by email

• Share in general

• Comments

  Comments

Central Command Commander Yehuda Fox this week presented to Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi a command investigation that shows that the previous commander of the Aguz unit, Lt. Col. Ephraim Tahila, lied in a military investigation.

According to the investigation, during training, the soldiers of the unit accidentally caused a fire, and Tehila in response tightened his investigation regarding

the circumstances of the case.

Last July, during the unit's training, an explosive device was set off against the instructions.

As a result, a fire broke out, which was later extinguished by the soldiers.

After the incident, an investigation began in the IDF and outside of the matter into the circumstances of the fire, and it was discovered that Tehila lied about the circumstances of the fire. According to the investigation, Tehila lied to IDF officers, to representatives of the Nature Reserve and Parks Authority, and in the military investigation he conducted after the incident.

They threw an explosive brick, causing a fire (photo: IDF spokesperson)

The IDF stated that when it was discovered that Tehila had given incorrect information, the officer took full responsibility for his actions and expressed regret. Also, the commander of the Central Command, Yehuda Fuchs, stated that he acted contrary to the instructions regarding the training itself, and that his conduct after that "does not conform to the values ​​of the IDF "To".

In addition, Chief of Staff Kochavi stated that the officer "seriously failed morally", and therefore is not fit to fulfill command positions or advance in service in the IDF.

Therefore, according to the Chief of Staff's decision, Tahila will no longer hold positions in the IDF, but will serve in the security system until his retirement.

At the same time, the military police began to investigate the incident, and at the end of their investigation, they will forward the findings to the military prosecutor's office.

"The officer seriously failed morally" (photo: IDF spokesperson)

"Telling the truth is a central and fundamental principle in the IDF, and therefore not telling the truth is crossing a red line that cannot be accepted," Kochavi said following the incident, "the entire relationship between commanders and between commanders and soldiers is based on honesty and trust.

The officer acted during and after the incident in complete opposition to the values ​​of the IDF and the principles of the command. At the same time, it is impossible to ignore his past in general and his combat past in particular. Lt. Col. Tahila is a warrior and a respected officer who commanded operational units in combat, won commendable marks and contributed a lot to the IDF during his service".

This is the second failure in the Ego unit in the last year, after in January a team commander from the Egoz unit opened fire on 28-year-old Major Ofek Aharon and 26-year-old Major Itamar Alharr and killed them following a mistaken identification.

The two officers decided to go out on their own to conduct a scan to look for stolen equipment.

Another commander from the unit also went out to scan the area, who saw the two officers, and thought that they were suspicious characters.

When they began to approach him, the commander thought that he was threatened by enemies, opened fire at them and killed them

More in Walla!

Get in the car and let's go: 5 recommendations for easy itineraries with children

In collaboration with Dacia

• news

• Army and security

Tags

• IDF

• fires

• Aviv Kochavi