Soldiers Leave Sde Teiman Base After Dispute With Battalion Commander; Arab Media Reports ‘Mutiny in Enemy Army’

Soldiers from the Sabra Battalion of the Givati Brigade, serving at the Sde Teiman base, left the base today (Thursday) without their commanders’ permission following a dispute with the battalion commander. The incident occurred after the commander removed and broke metal signs placed at the base that bore symbols meaningful to the soldiers, a move that prompted an unusual protest by some of the troops.

According to reports, the soldiers left the base in an organized manner after leaving their personal weapons at the company’s central area. Footage circulated from the scene shows the soldiers leaving the base as a group, while the weapons remained behind in accordance with their decision not to take them along.

The incident also drew attention outside Israel, as several Arab media outlets reported on it extensively. The Lebanese newspaper "Al-Akhbar," which is affiliated with Hezbollah, ran the headline: "Mutiny in the enemy army: Dozens of soldiers leave a military base."

Qatar’s "Al Jazeera" network also covered the case and published images showing the weapons left at the base, alongside a quote from Israeli media stating: "Soldiers in a combat battalion left their military base a short time ago without permission from their commanders."

Iran’s "Tasnim" news agency also reported on the incident. Its report stated that "several Israeli soldiers at the Sde Teiman base put down their weapons and left the base after a dispute with the battalion commander. The army described the soldiers’ action as unexpected." Videos documenting the soldiers’ departure were also circulated by media outlets in Syria.

The IDF spokesperson said the incident began after the battalion commander decided to remove signs connected to an internal battalion tradition. The IDF statement said: "A short time ago, several soldiers in a combat battalion began leaving their base without permission from their commanders, following the battalion commander’s decision to remove signs connected to non-normative events involving the battalion’s ‘newbies and veterans’ tradition. The incident is being investigated and handled by commanders. This is an incident that does not align with IDF values or with what is expected of its soldiers."

The soldiers issued a response: "We are fighters who spent a long period fighting in Gaza and Lebanon. After returning from Lebanon to Sde Teiman, we continued with the military routine. Every company has a container where its equipment is stored. Periodically, the battalion commander and officers inspect the containers to make sure everything is in order. Today, the battalion commander, the company commander, the deputy company commander, and another officer came to inspect our company’s containers. During the inspection, and without any justified reason, they took and broke signs that are part of our company’s tradition."

The statement continued: "These are not just signs. They are symbols that have accompanied the company for years, passed down from one generation of fighters to the next, and that went with us even after months of fighting in Gaza and Lebanon."

According to the soldiers, "When these symbols are broken, it is not just a piece of wood or a sign that is broken—it is something from the fighters’ spirit".  They also wrote: "Unfortunately, this is only a small part of the treatment and conduct we experience from some officers toward the fighters. We cannot continue to remain silent and give up even the few things that give us strength to keep going. We will not remain silent anymore."

After the protest, the battalion commander sent a letter to the soldiers’ parents: "Those of you who remember *pazam* games of ‘newbies and veterans’ from your military service know how serious this incident is, and how many soldiers are harmed by violence and humiliation," he wrote, adding: "I therefore decided to break wooden signs of Satan, the Angel of Death, and others that represent exactly these things."

The battalion commander also updated parents that soldiers who regretted leaving the base could return by 4:00 p.m.: "Those who arrive, we will know how to accommodate them."