Dozens of former officers who served in the elite IDF commando unit Maglan came to the defense of one of their comrades, Naftali Bennett, who has been accused of behavior that led to a massacre of scores of Lebanese civilians during an Israeli offensive against Hezbollah nearly 20 years ago.
Bennett’s actions as a commanding officer in Maglan during a ground incursion in southern Lebanon were the focus of an article in the widespread circulation tabloid
Yedioth Ahronoth earlier this week.The article, citing military sources, claimed that Bennett’s poor judgment led his unit into an ambush, requiring supporting IDF troops to fire heavy artillery and weaponry into a densely populated region. The resulting deaths of 102 Lebanese in Kfar Kana prompted international opprobrium, which forced Israel to end Operation Grapes of Wrath.
