IDF canine Bernie dies in Hezbollah attack after detecting terrorists

O. said the dog’s actions prevented potential casualties among Israeli forces, including troops from the 890th Battalion operating alongside his unit.

By Shula Rosen

A military working dog named Bernie was killed after detecting Hezbollah terrorists, according to reports by Channel 22.

Sgt. 1st Class (res.) O., a team commander in the Oketz unit, said the force identified irregular signs upon reaching the site and took precautionary measures.

“When we approached the site, we saw the door was blocked in a somewhat suspicious way, and I decided to send in an explosives-detection dog,” he said.

After breaching the entrance and conducting initial sweeps, troops observed additional indicators of possible danger and deployed aerial surveillance before deciding to send Bernie into the building.

“We sent up a reconnaissance drone, and only then did I decide to send Bernie,” he said.

During the search, Bernie moved through the structure and advanced toward the upper levels.

“We gave her a set amount of time to search, and at the end of it she began climbing the staircase to the roof, where she encountered the terrorists,” O. said. “She managed to bite one of them before she was hit by a burst of gunfire and killed.”

The exchange of fire confirmed the presence of terrorists inside the building, he said.

“Because of the shooting we heard, we knew there were terrorists there,” he added, noting that they were later understood to have been positioned with weapons and grenades.

“In retrospect, we realized they had been waiting there with weapons and grenades ready,” he said. “If Bernie had not identified them, the soldiers would have gone in and the results would have been tragic.”

O. said the dog’s actions prevented potential casualties among Israeli forces, including troops from the 890th Battalion operating alongside his unit.

Bernie’s handler, Staff Sgt. Y., described the immediate response and emotional aftermath. “It was a situation with a lot of adrenaline,” he said. “You have to respond while protecting the force.”

He added that the loss became clear only later. “Only afterward did it sink in that the one who had been hit was Bernie, not the troops.”