The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday allowed the publication of the name of the fourth soldier killed in the tank disaster in southern Lebanon, Staff Sgt. Naveh Havshush. He was one of four troops who died in the incident overnight between Thursday and Friday, alongside Staff Sgt. Liav Kbabiya, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, and Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Shimhon. Another soldier was also killed, but his name has not yet been cleared for publication.
Havshush’s father posted an emotional message online after receiving the news from IDF officers. He wrote that his son was killed in Lebanon and urged the public to keep trying to live as normally as possible, saying, “Naveh שלנו נהרג הלילה בלבנון” and that he would be “very glad to see everyone continue to go on trips and try to keep routine as much as possible.” He said their son died so that people in Israel could continue living “safely, happily and calmly.”
The report also highlighted Kbabiya, who was 20 and had studied at Mosinzon High School until two years ago, where he majored in cinema. Described by friends and family as having kind eyes, a vivid imagination and endless dreams, he loved music and the sea and wanted to make an impact and be the best he could be. He served on the tank crew of Battalion Commander 52 and had fought in multiple dangerous sectors and incidents before the vehicle was badly hit in the last event.
In a statement carried in the article, those mourning Kbabiya said he was killed together with his crew mates Naveh Havshush, Yoav Klein of Herzliya, and the battalion commander Dor Ben Shimhon from Beit Hashita. They said there was no consolation for the loss and expressed hope that the cycle of bereavement and pain would be stopped. The IDF said funeral details would be released later, and the weekend brought another wave of mourning for battles in southern Lebanon.
