IOF officer says Cmdr. urged troops to 'commit genocide' in Lebanon
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Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich questioned why the Israeli military had not taken action against Adi Engert, the mental health officer who leaked the document.
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Israeli occupation forces (IOF) patrol the border between occupied Palestine and Lebanon. (Undated, AP)
A new commander in one of the Israeli armed battalions pushed his soldiers to commit "genocide" in Lebanon, reported the official Israeli broadcaster, citing a mental health officer in the Israeli military.
Adi Engert, the Alexandroni Brigade's mental health officer, provoked outrage in an X post late Monday that was subsequently deleted, stating that the brigade's new commander, Col. Moshe Pesel, "wishes for the fighters to commit genocide," according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
"The villages of Lebanon will become desolate, and its roads impassable," according to a passage from a dossier provided by Pesel to his soldiers.
Engert linked the remark to her post, whose screenshots continued circulating in Israeli media after it was removed.
According to the Israeli Channel 12, Alexandroni Brigade troops have carried out more than 200 days of reserve duty on Lebanon and Gaza's borders since October 7.
Engert stated that when Pesel assumed leadership, he told the brigade's troops that "a new commander has joined the brigade. To begin with, I wish for the fighters to commit genocide."
Israeli occupation Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich questioned on X why the Israeli military had not taken action against Engert for leaking the document.
Over 5,650 Israeli soldiers treated for injuries sustained in north
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported Tuesday that over 5,650 Israeli occupation forces soldiers have been injured or fallen ill on the northern front since October 7. The soldiers have been receiving treatment at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya and Ziv Hospital in Safed, according to the report.
Hospital directors have expressed deep concern over the uncertain duration of the confrontations in the north, which have now dragged on for 11 months. "We have been underground for 11 months, and we cannot see the end," the hospital officials stated.
Salman Zarka, the director of Ziv Hospital, revealed that his facility had treated approximately 450 soldiers injured in operations carried out by Hezbollah. "I'm not talking about operational accidents; I'm talking about gunfire, shrapnel, direct injuries. These are very large numbers," Zarka emphasized.
He further noted that the Israeli occupation was unaccustomed to prolonged wars. Zarka stressed the need to balance "life-saving treatment" with preparedness for treating a large number of wounded soldiers. He added that this balancing act was "exhausting and difficult, especially when there is no end in sight."
Masad Barhoum, the director of the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, echoed Zarka's concerns, reiterating that he "cannot see the end." Barhoum stated, "No one prepared us to stay underground for 11 months. It is a very, very significant challenge."
Barhoum also revealed that his center had treated about 1,700 wounded soldiers, in addition to 3,500 others who were admitted due to various illnesses contracted on the northern front.
