The IDF cleared for publication Sunday morning that Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh, 20, from Geva Binyamin, was the fourth soldier killed in the tank disaster in southern Lebanon.
Habshoosh was killed in the incident alongside Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein and Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia. His funeral will be held on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
After the family was notified of his death, Habshoosh’s father, Haim, wrote Friday: “Dear friends, IDF officers came to our home tonight to give us the bitterest news of all. Nave, our sweet and beloved son, was killed tonight in Lebanon. We would be very happy to see everyone continue going on trips and try to keep their routine as much as possible. That is what Nave was killed for, so that we can continue living in this country safely, happily and calmly.”
The IDF said Saturday that the circumstances of the incident in which the battalion commander and three soldiers were killed remain under investigation.
It was revealed Saturday night that the tank crew had taken part in an operation to seize a fortified Hezbollah compound in the Ali Taher Ridge area. Troops now have operational control of the compound, described as one of Hezbollah’s main centers of gravity in southern Lebanon. A senior military official said dozens of terrorists were trapped inside the compound, from which Hezbollah directs fighting in the area.
The deadly incident occurred near the village of Tebnit in southern Lebanon, in the Nabatieh area. At about 12:20 a.m., a “suspicious target” struck a tank belonging to forces from the 52nd Battalion operating under the command of the Givati Brigade combat team.
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Top left to right: Nir Ben Ari, Nave Habshoosh, Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, Yoav Klein, Liav Kababia
(Photo: IDF)
The IDF has not yet determined what hit the tank and has examined several possibilities. The military has ruled out an accident or malfunction and determined that the tank was hit by an external strike, possibly an explosive drone or an anti-tank missile.
The strike killed Ben Simhon and the three soldiers.