4 more troops who led mass desertion last week jailed, dismissed from combat duty

Four more soldiers of the Givati Brigade’s Tzabar Battalion who led a mass desertion of an army base in southern Israel last week have been sentenced to prison and dismissed from combat duty, the military says.

On Thursday, around 100 infantry soldiers left behind their weapons and abandoned the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel after their battalion commander destroyed decorative signs they had put up.

The IDF said that around 80 troops who later returned were required to stay on their base over the weekend, and 14 troops who led the desertion were jailed for 30 days and removed from combat roles.

Today, three more soldiers who led the desertion were jailed for 30 days, and a fourth soldier who is on leave ahead of his release from the army was sentenced to 20 days in jail. All four were also removed from combat roles.