Lt. (res.) Omri made a fateful decision that saved many lives – he ordered his tank to fire on a vehicle overtaken by terrorists that was racing across the Egyptian border: “Everything happened in a few seconds. I didn’t have the option to miss.”
August 2012: A terrorist cell, seemingly affiliated with global jihad, penetrated Israel from the Sinai Peninsula. The terrorists had killed a number of Egyptian soldiers and seized a truck and an APC (armored personnel carrier). The truck was used as a bomb to explode the fence, and the cell drove the APC towards Israel with the goal to attack Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers.
In collaboration with the armored forces of the “Habokim” Battalion and assistance from ground and air forces, the Southern Brigade of the Gaza Division managed to thwart the attack in less than 15 minutes.
A year later, Armored Corps officer Lt. (res.) Tomer Omri, who received a medal for his role in preventing the attack, recalled that fateful event in an exclusive interview with the IDF website.
We had no choice but to hit the target
During the days leading up to the attack, there was great tension: there were warnings that something dangerous could occur. At that time, Lt. (res.) Omri was serving as a platoon commander, and was on his way to perform routine security at the Gaza border.
I was far away from the location of the attack and my radio was malfunctioning. I played around with the radio but all I managed to hear was that some kind of incident was developing. Immediately I understood we weren’t dealing with a routine occurrence. Then I saw a huge explosion on the horizon in the direction of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
I started to travel in the direction of the explosion, and suddenly the radio became clear for a moment. I heard that there was an APC being driven by terrorists that had crossed the border. I began to search for the armored vehicle and quickly it appeared right before me.
At that moment, what passed through my mind was that I needed to make a quick and serious decision whether to open fire. Because of the malfunctioning radio, I could not contact my superior officer and request permission to open fire. You have to understand, shooting in Israeli territory is no trivial matter.
Lt. (res.) made his decision once he knew with certainty that the APC was not the IDF’s. Such certainty was obtained when he saw that the armored vehicle was firing at cars.
Everything happened in a few seconds. In a moment we had fired the first shell and it struck the target. We were very close, and knew we had no choice but to hit the target.
Exclusive IDF Video of the destruction of the terrorist driven APC
After they fired their first shell, the crew of Lt. (res.) Omri scanned the field, careful to avoid the possibility of a kidnapping.
We were very careful when scanning the area. There wasn’t any time for feeling things out. It was all done out of sheer professionalism. At the time we didn’t understand the significance of the event. We felt simply that we had done our jobs.
Today, Lt. Omri’s crew fully comprehends the significance of that fateful moment, now referred to as the incident of “the burning wheels.”
When I recall the incident, it all feels like a distant dream. I don’t feel like I was there and participated in such an important thing.
During the attempted attack, many different forces tried to take down the terrorist driven APC, including the Desert Reconnaissance Battalion and the Air Force. Yet in the end, it was the tank shell of Lt. (res.) Omri that brought the APC to its explosive halt. This fact is a source of great pride for the decorated lieutenant..
Everyone tried to fire at it, and in the end it was the tank shells that destroyed the APC.
Lt. (res.) Omri reluctantly joined the Armored Corps, having preferred to be in infantry. But now he says he has no regrets about where he ended up.
This event shows to everyone the great importance of tanks, and proves their great worth as military weapons.
For his participation in thwarting the attack, Lt. (res.) Omri was awarded the medal of the Southern Command, by Maj. General Tal Russo.
When I was informed that I was receiving the medal, I thought about one thing: how happy my parents would be.
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