Hundreds of Hod HaSharon residents, family members, friends, and city officials accompanied Staff Sgt. Liav Khababia, 20, on Monday to his burial after he was killed in combat in southern Lebanon. Khababia, a soldier in Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion and a graduate of Hadarim High School, was struck in an incident after Kornet missiles were fired at a battalion commander’s tank.
The funeral procession left the family home on HaBanim Street and made its way to the city’s military cemetery. Along the route, many residents stood with Israeli flags to pay their last respects. Mayor Amir Kochavi said the whole community was deeply grieving for the fallen soldier and promised the city would continue to support the bereaved family during what he called its hardest time.
At the military burial ceremony, Khababia’s relatives and close friends described him as charismatic, loved, and guided by strong values. His comrades in arms concluded the ceremony with a salute and a final honor volley.
The same attack also killed Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimhon, and another fighter, Naveh Havshush of the settlement of Adam, whose family released his name. The four were killed in a clash with Hezbollah, which fired Kornet missiles at the tank, and apparently also launched explosive drones with anti-tank warheads. The IDF said the circumstances are still under investigation and that the findings will be presented transparently to the families when the inquiry is complete.
