The Times: An Israeli-British soldier spent 8 days in southern Lebanon tells the story about the war

An investigation published by the Times newspaper, revealed the diary of a British Israeli soldier named Yossi (31), after he spent 8 days in southern Lebanon and witnessed confrontations with Hezbollah.

“Most of these guys were trained in Iran and then gained combat experience in Syria… They are the best of the best, the elite of the elite,” he said.

Yossi moved to Israel from London at the age of 18 and is a paratrooper in the Israeli army’s reservists, although in peacetime he works in e-commerce.

His unit includes soldiers from a mix of professions, including a student, a farmer and a lawyer.

According to the investigation, “Yossi and his comrades-in-arms invaded Lebanon on October 20, as part of a broader offensive aimed at allowing 60,000 Israelis to return to their homes in border settlements, after continuous Hezbollah rocket attacks forced them to flee”.

“Two brigades, each with up to 2,000 soldiers, were instructed to sweep through a town near the border, searching for tunnel entrances and weapons caches hidden under chicken coops, buried in olive groves or concealed in the foundations of buildings”.

“Since invading Lebanon, Israel has lost 37 soldiers, most of them reservists, to Hezbollah’s arsenal of drones and missiles, and Radwan’s elite forces appear to still be capable of waging a guerrilla war on territory they know well,” the investigation added.

“But Israel has struck some heavy blows, claiming to have destroyed 80% of the group’s missiles and killed Radwan’s commander in southern Lebanon in an airstrike on Aitaroun, all while blowing up tunnels and seizing weapons”.

The investigation continues, “For eight days in southern Lebanon, Yossi lived on sausages and tuna, didn’t sleep more than three hours a night, wore protective armor all the time and didn’t allow his feet to breathe even once.

“We were scouring nearly 100 properties, looking for weapons and tunnels,” he said.

“About one in five properties had some form of Hezbollah infrastructure, from guns and AK-47s to rocket launchers and tunnel entrances,” he added.

One morning, the 226th Paratroopers Brigade found hookah coals and half-eaten food, indicating that Hezbollah hadn’t completely withdrawn from the city, located a mile and a half from Israel.

The investigation continued, “Yossi was planning to clear the neighborhood where he suspected the fighters were hiding, by advancing building by building… After clearing the first building, Yossi was preparing to enter the second building when his unit decided to check for booby traps”.

“We sent a drone through the window and found the entire building rigged with explosives,” Yossi continued, “I can’t tell you how lucky I am to be alive”.

According to the investigation, “Shortly afterward, one of Yossi’s friends noticed shadows moving under a blue truck… There were two armed men, one of them with an AK47… One of the gunmen to Yossi’s left began shooting, partially deafening him because he didn’t have time to put in his earplugs”.

“A sniper to his right also opened fire… Through their binoculars, they saw the sniper’s bullets bounce off the concrete and ordered him to aim higher… Outgunned and surrounded, the errant Hezbollah fighters had no chance of survival… Their last moments were captured by an Israeli drone,” he said.

The Times newspaper pointed out that the participation of British citizens in the Israeli army is controversial.

According to reports, Benjamin Needham, (19), was killed during fighting in Gaza last year, and Nathaniel Young, (20), was killed on October 7 when Hamas overran an Israeli army border post.

Despite efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to force the British government to change its position, it still allows citizens to serve in the legitimately recognized armed forces of their other country of nationality, including the Israeli army.

Yossi, who asked that his real name not be used, returned to Lebanon this week.

During his three-day vacation with his wife and 15-month-old son, he took time to write a diary of his experiences and re-watch the footage he recorded on his video camera.

He begins his story on the border with Lebanon, where Israeli soldiers are carrying palm fronds to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, however, he quickly becomes angry once he crosses the border, blaming the UN forces for failing to monitor Hezbollah south of the Litani River.

“They can see everything from the watchtower,” he says, pointing to a UNIFIL base near a booby-trapped building.

“What is their goal? Actually, I would say the opposite: they are complicit,” Yossi said.

“Lebanon is used to luring you in and keeping you there for a very long time,” he concluded, a day before his return north.