An IDF investigation into the recent death of two reservists in an explosion in southern Lebanon will be expanding its scope after it was found that the force of the blast that killed them was unusually strong compared to a standard explosive device, Walla learned on Saturday.
Maj. (res.) Harel Birenstock, a company commander, and M.-Sgt. (res.) Tamir Vaknin, both of Battalion 2855 of the 55th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade, were killed, while four others were severely wounded during a combat mission in the village of Majdal Zoun.
The incident was also examined by Air Force officials, who discovered that several months earlier, a bomb was dropped on a structure more than a hundred meters away from the building where the explosion occurred. However, a professional authority determined that even if an unexploded ordnance were in the area, hitting the building that collapsed was unlikely.
Therefore, the possibility that it was unexploded ordnance was essentially ruled out at first.
Several leads were examined in the investigation. Brig.-Gen. Yuval Gaz, commander of the Galilee Division, conducted an in-depth investigation into how the building was cleared of explosive devices.
IDF entered building before circling back, device explodes
The preliminary investigation revealed that the force entered the building after it had been scanned, left it, continued its mission, and when it passed by the building a second time, a powerful explosive device was detonated. The prevailing assessment in the IDF is that it was an old explosive device.
At the same time, Northern Command confirms that Hezbollah is active in the area and is attempting to challenge the IDF, so it cannot be ruled out that a Hezbollah force tampered with the explosive device to target IDF forces operating in the sector.
Therefore, the investigation remains ongoing and has not yet been finalized by the Head of Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, in order to further examine the findings being gathered in the field by various entities.