A year and eight months after Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, was killed during an unauthorized visit by a civilian researcher to southern Lebanon, the IDF reportedly presented his family with its operational investigation into the incident on Friday.

On November 20, 2024, Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom — who served as chief of staff of the Golani Brigade in the reserves — allowed researcher Ze’ev Erlich, 71, to enter the western sector of southern Lebanon, in IDF uniform, to examine an archaeological site without the necessary approvals.

The visit took place at the height of an Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, a week before a ceasefire between Israel and the terror group brought a temporary halt to more than a year of hostilities.

Yarom and Erlich were joined by a team of soldiers as they entered a medieval fortress in the southern Lebanese village of Shamaa, revered by Christians and Shiite Muslims as the 1st-century burial place of Saint Peter.

Believing the area had been cleared of threats, Yarom led Erlich and accompanying troops, including Kehati, to the site, where two Hezbollah operatives ambushed the forces, killing Erlich and Kehati. An officer was seriously wounded, and Yarom himself was moderately wounded, before the gunmen were killed.

Kehati’s grandfather, Assaf Agmon, told the Ynet news site........

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