____________________________________________ IICC Perspectives Statement of Brigadier General Mil. Amos Kotzer, 828th Brigade in West-Beirut: "In the brigade, divisional and command summaries, I stated that the main lesson we learned was activating the POW interrogators unit because the intelligence usually flowing to the brigades was shallow and outdated and did not match the battle as it unfolded. In Beirut, the only genuine source of information was the POW interrogators unit, which managed to collect and provide real-time, up-to-date, and relevant data for the battle, including at the lowest tactical level, anti-tank ambushes and troop concentrations, and at the highest level, the location of terrorist headquarters and offices and the possible intentions of the various organizations..." "But my main lesson from the war in West Beirut was that communicating with alMourabitoun and the ability to use judgment and act against them with wisdom instead of force had a great weight and was even decisive in the brigade's fighting in Beirut, both in gathering intelligence on the ground and in neutralizing the enemy's fighting spirit. "I saw cooperation with the POW interrogators and the ability to talk to armed enemy forces and make them surrender without a fight as equivalent to artillery softening or close air softening." (Interview, April 2nd, 2019). facebook O.U. Murabitun - O.U. Murabitun updated their cover photo Statement of Lt. Col. Mil. Zalman Kovarsky, 906th Battalion commander in the 828th Brigade in West- Beirut: "Before the breakthrough to West Beirut, I had gone with the battalion through Tyre, Sidon, Burj al-Barajneh to Damour and Alei in the eastern sector along the Beirut-Damascus axis, and I did not have a single casualty. That was why I let you [Shai] exhaust all options before using force like hitting your head on the wall in difficult battles. Therefore, I recommended to the brigade command and Division commander, Itzik Mordechai, to accede to your repeated requests to try to make the enemy surrender without a fight. Without your support, the intelligence materials you provided and the repeated attempts you initiated with the enemy headquarters, we would not have successfully carried out the mission. You were an integral part of the battalion that provided enormous help in carrying out the mission without a fight or losses. While engaged in locating terrorist headquarters, and clearing weapons warehouses [in West Beirut], we were acting according to your suggestions and instructions" (Interview, March 25th, 2019).
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