An IDF officer who earned official commendation for a Second Lebanon War battle in which he lost an eye is named the next commander of the storied Golani Infantry Brigade.
Col. Barak Hiram, who currently commands the Israel Defense Forces’ Tzeelim training base, will take command of the brigade in the coming months, the military says.
During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hiram, then a major, served as a platoon commander in the elite Egoz unit. During a battle in the southern Lebanese town of Haddatha, Hiram sustained a head wound, which he bandaged himself. He continued fighting, refusing to be taken away until the end of the battle, when another officer was able to take his place.
He ultimately lost his eye from the injury.
A year after the end of the war, he was awarded an official citation of bravery.
Hiram’s appointment is announced along with 17 other high-ranking positions in the IDF. All of the nominations — requiring a degree of colonel — were approved by IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as defense minister.
Col. Barak Hiram, center-left, speaks to then IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, center-right, in the Northern Command on May 9, 2018. (Israel Defense Forces)
–– Judah Ari Gross
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