IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi decided this week that the former commander of the elite Egoz Unit, Lt. Col. Ephraim Tehila, would be dismissed immediately after an Israel Hayom exposé revealed that he had lied during a military investigation into a fire incident during training in the Golan Heights.
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Tehila allowed his soldiers to use an explosive device during a training session, which was operated contrary to preliminary coordination instructions. A fire broke out as a result, which the fighters succeeded in extinguishing.
It was revealed that the commander lied to the representatives of the Nature and Parks Authority who arrived at the scene to investigate the fire, as well as to military investigators who conducted a probe later.
The investigation showed that an explosive device had indeed been activated at the location and that Tehila was aware of this. He later admitted to the lie and, according to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit on Sunday, "accepted full responsibility for his actions and expressed regret for it."
Tehila oversaw the Egoz unit in January when in a tragic friendly fire incident, two officers – Maj. Itamar Elharar and Maj. Ofek Aharon – were killed. He will move on to serve in the Defense Ministry until he reaches retirement age.
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