On Sunday, five fallen soldiers were buried in five separate funerals held within seven hours, after they were killed in fighting in southern Lebanon over the weekend. The dead were Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, and Staff Sgt. Naveh Havshush, 20, who were killed in the tank disaster in Teibnin; Master Sgt. Alexander Filin, 29, who was killed by an explosive device in the village of Al-Taybeh; and Master Sgt. Nir Ben Ari, 21, who was killed by Hezbollah rocket fire and explosive drones.
Kababia, Klein and Havshush were killed in the same severe incident overnight between Thursday and Friday, alongside battalion commander Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimhon. The incident took place around 12:20 a.m., when a suspicious target hit a tank from Battalion 52 operating under the Givati Brigade combat team. The possibility of an accident or malfunction was ruled out, and the army concluded that the tank was struck externally, likely by a suicide drone or anti-tank missile. Ben Ari, a commando fighter in Maglan, was killed near Teibnin in the al-Taher ridge area. Filin, who served in the Givati Division's command post, died in an explosion near Al-Taybeh.
About 1,000 people attended Kababia’s funeral at 5 p.m. in the military cemetery in Kfar Saba. Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, both from his hometown, represented the government. Singer Aviv Geffen performed at the funeral, while senior officers, relatives, his girlfriend Hoshan, classmates, and friends delivered emotional eulogies. Family members described his warmth, humility, and commitment to service. His former battalion commander, arriving in a wheelchair after being wounded, told him, “Two and a half months ago you were among those who saved my life in Bint Jbeil, and today I am here above your grave and cannot believe it.”
Havshush was buried about an hour later at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, where hundreds came to honor him. His mother revealed she is pregnant at age 46, saying the new life growing within her feels like the only thing helping her rise each morning after losing her only son. His father said Havshush had sent a final message at 11:15 p.m. on Thursday, asking about possible weekend leave, and added that his son died after going north to fight. Later in the day, Ben Ari was buried in Kerem Maharal, Klein in Herzliya, and Filin in Haifa. Ben Ari was due to be discharged next week, to turn 22 soon, and already had a ticket to Thailand. Filin, an immigrant from Ukraine and former army sniper, left behind a wife and a young daughter. In each funeral, families and commanders described the fallen as brave, modest, deeply loved young men who chose combat service despite knowing the risks.
