About 100 Israeli infantrymen fled the Sde Teiman military base in southern Israel on Thursday, leaving their weapons behind, after a clash with their battalion commander.
According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the soldiers left after the commander had removed some decorative inscriptions placed by them, writes aljazeera .
The IDF announced that the mass departure of members of the Tzabar battalion of the Givati brigade is being investigated and that the matter has been reviewed by military commanders. The army described the incident as an act that is inconsistent with its values and discipline.
Videos posted online show soldiers leaving the base, shouting and using abusive language towards officers. Other footage shows weapons left behind on the base and damaged decorative signs, including a sign with symbols of hell and the words "Devil's Kingdom".
The soldiers claimed that the graffiti was part of their "company tradition," while the army said some of it contained messages that humiliated new recruits. IDF infantry units have previously faced accusations of humiliating treatment of new soldiers and disciplinary problems.
The commander gave the soldiers a deadline of 4:00 PM to return to the Sde Teiman base, warning that those who did not return would be considered absent without authorization and would face disciplinary action.
According to the IDF, most soldiers returned to base during the evening, while about 30 members of one platoon did not return. The army announced that measures would be taken against the protest leaders by the brigade commander, while the cases of the missing soldiers would be referred to the military police.
The commander of the Givati Brigade, Colonel Netanel Shamaka, stated that there is no room for violating discipline, the authority of commanders and the basic rules on which the Israeli army operates. He said that the incident will be treated with the "greatest seriousness." /Telegraph/
