IDF closes case against reserves officer who was facing charges over deaths of researcher, soldier in Lebanon

New Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir has decided to close a case against Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom, who was facing charges over his involvement in the circumstances that led to the deaths of a soldier and a civilian researcher in southern Lebanon in November 2024.

Yarom will not face criminal charges, and instead, Ofir has recommended that he be disciplined within the military. IDF prosecutors in September said they would seek to file an indictment against the reserve officer, accusing him of reckless homicide.

The army says that an investigation into another individual involved in the incident will also be closed without criminal proceedings.

The families of Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, and civilian researcher Ze’ev Erlich, 71, were updated on the decision, the IDF says.

On November 20, Yarom — who served as chief of staff of the Golani Brigade in the reserves — allowed Erlich to enter the western sector of southern Lebanon, in IDF uniform, to examine an archaeological site without the necessary approvals. Erlich had long served in the military reserves despite his advanced age, but was not in active service at the time of his entry into Lebanon.

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 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.

Following a Military Police investigation, the Military Prosecution decided to indict Yarom with the charge of reckless homicide, subject to a hearing.

Before the hearing, a new testimony was taken from the seriously wounded commander, which could not have been obtained earlier due to his injury, the army says.

The IDF says that immediately upon entering the role in late November, and due to the statute of limitations for the applicability of military law in the case, Ofir decided to hold a hearing with Yarom and the prosecution team.

“The combination of the investigation findings that were collected, together with the additional testimony that was taken, as well as evidence presented and submitted during the hearing by the defense, including a series of opinions from commanders past and present regarding Ehrlich’s areas of expertise and their reliance on him in an operational framework, led the Military Advocate General’s Corps to decide not to prosecute Col. (res.) Yoav Yarom criminally,” the IDF says.

The military says that the investigation material shows that the visit to the site “had been planned in advance by the commander of the force… and was required for operational purposes.” According to the military, Golani Brigade commander Col. Adi Gonen had instructed a team to head to the area to investigate the death of another Golani soldier in a battle with Hezbollah five days earlier.

The IDF says that it was not possible, legally speaking, to refute Yarom’s claims that he joined the patrol “for operational reasons” and that Erlich was also included in the tour “for operational reasons.”

The army adds that it “shares in the deep sorrow” of the Kehati and Erlich families.