Brig. Gen. (res.) Asher Ben Lulu wrote a post on the X platform yesterday (Thursday) regarding Ze'ev Jabo Erlich, killed in Lebanon two days ago. He revealed amazing details about the historian's extensive experience which led to the discovery of the bodies of the three boys, Gil-Ad Michael Shaar, Yaakov Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach, kidnapped and murdered in 2014.
"A little story about Ze'ev Jabo Erlich. In 2014, when the boys were kidnapped, I was tasked as the commander of the Kfir Brigade, to coordinate the search in the open area in the Halhul area. Twelve battalions, special units and the best technology were at my disposal. On the first day, at the field command center, an older man showed up, with a large mustache, biblical sandals and a pile of tablecloths in his hands. "Brigade Commander, can I have a half hour of your precious time?" he asked, and without waiting he put the map in his hand on the table.
Ben Lulu also said that Jabo "spoke and spoke, and his fingers ran quickly on the map, and the lines of the map connected very quickly, for an instructive analysis of the terrain. One of the assessments is that the terrorists hid the youths in a cave. Jabo leaned over the map and marked dozens of caves and trenches that we didn't know existed. "I know them and I know what they look like," Jabo said.
We equipped the forces with valuable information, then went out into the field and scanned the caves Jabo pointed out. Every day he came and asked for help. It was hard not to appreciate the man, his vast knowledge of field analysis and in general his love of the land and the people. His recommendations and those of others helped us, and in the end, unfortunately, we found the bodies of the dear boys near Khirva, to which an operational force was sent, and they were brought to Israel for burial."
In conclusion, Ben Lulu wrote: "So I don't know exactly what Jabo was doing in Lebanon, but from my acquaintance with him, he must have been full of good intentions to help the IDF again."