Israeli Army Investigates Mutiny of Dozens of Soldiers After Leaving Their Military Base

The Israeli army began, on Thursday, an investigation into an incident described as "unprecedented" after dozens of soldiers left a military base in southern Israel, carrying their personal bags and leaving behind their weapons and equipment.

The incident occurred in the "Tzabar" battalion at the "Sde Teiman" military base in southern Israel, and involved about 100 soldiers leaving their battalion headquarters, despite warnings from their commanders about the consequences of this event.

A spokesman for the Israeli army said: "A short time ago, soldiers from a combat battalion began leaving their base without permission from their commanders, after the battalion commander decided to remove the signs that the soldiers had hung at the base headquarters," noting that the matter is under investigation, and that "what happened does not conform to the values of the Israeli army."

The soldiers left their military base while chanting slogans that included insults and curses against their commanders, as shown in video clips.

According to the newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth," "The fighters who abandoned the base said that their commanders smashed the signs they had prepared with a hammer, signs and symbols related to the identity of the military battalion."

The Israeli Channel 7 website said that the fighters had recently returned from their service in Lebanon, and when they were asked to destroy the memorial corner, which contained flags and memories of their fallen comrades, they threw down their weapons in protest and left the military base.