Lt. Col. Salman Habaka: Fallen Druze Arab Hero Saved Civilians and Soldiers Alike

YANUH-JAT, Israel — Lt. Col. Salman Habaka, 33, was many things: the first Druze Arab tank commander in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF); a husband, and a father; a devoted fan of the Maccabi Haifa soccer team; and a hero who saved countless lives.

Most of all, he was loved. Deeply loved.

For more than a week, the family home in this Druze village in the mountains of the Galilee has been crowded with visitors: politicians, military officers, friends, neighbors, relatives — and even complete strangers.

All have come to pay their respects to a man who rushed south on October 7 as soon as he heard about the Hamas terror attack and personally led a group of tanks to join the fight to liberate Kibbutz Be’eri, a community that had been decimated — literally.

Later, in Gaza, Habaka took three tanks to save a special forces unit that had been pinned down by enemy fire. It was after that mission, in a hail of bullets and anti-tank fire, that Habaka gave his life for his country, leaving his family devastated, but proud.

I drove to Yanuh-Jat to pay my respects and to interview the family of this extraordinary young officer. On the way into the town, the roads were decorated with flags — including the Druze flag, which symbolizes the unique faith of this regional Arab group.

Several signs along the way proclaimed the support of the community for the State of Israel and the security services.

The streets of the town were quiet on a weekend morning; locals pointed out the way to the Habaka family home, on a hillside above the main road.

There, Habaka’s parents had erected a large outdoor tent with chairs to welcome visitors.

I was greeted by Habaka’s uncle, Dahod, and his father, Emad. The family offered me fragrant Druze coffee and trays of dates stuffed with walnuts, served to all those who had arrived to comfort the bereaved.

Several large banners hung outside the house: one for Habaka’s unit, the 53rd tank batallion; and another for the Maccabi Haifa soccer team. The owners of the team had visited, the family told me, bringing a poster with lettering in the team’s green-and-white colors: “Salman Habaka: Green Forever.”

Inside the house, I spoke to Amed and his wife, Mwaib, the bereaved parents whose grief was matched only by their pride.

“He was more than a commander to his soldiers. He was a friend,” Swaib told me, in Hebrew. “He helped everyone — his friends, and his friends’ parents. He would visit his soldiers’ families, and take gifts back to them from their families.”

In battle, she said, Habaka followed the IDF principle that commanders must lead from the front, not the rear. “He was a strong commander, and he always went in first, because he wanted to set an example to everyone, and to let them know that they were all in the fight together.”

On October 7, he drove from his home in Yanuh-Jat — so far north that the Lebanese border is almost visible — three hours south to Kibbutz Be’eri. On the way, he called ahead to a base near Gaza and told them to have tanks ready for him.

Emad recounted that when his son arrived on the scene, the mere presence of the tanks — and the booming sound of the tank rounds being fired — gave hope to the residents and frightened the terrorists. Several soldiers on the scene later credited Habaka with saving their lives.

What Hamas did to civilians in Kibbutz Be’eri — torturing people, dismembering their corpses, setting fire to homes with families trapped inside — was “lower than animals,” Emad said. He noted that his son had rushed to save people there because he, and the Druze community as a whole, saw themselves as part of the Israeli nation. “This is our land, and our country,” Mwaib added.

After the battle — whose bloody aftermath was described by Breitbart News last month — Habaka remained in the south, and prepared to join the ground invasion of Gaza. His family drove down to see him one more time, and organized a huge dinner for 600 soldiers. In deference to Jewish religious dietary rules, Mwaib recalled, they made sure that the food was kosher.

Once inside Gaza, Lt. Col. Habaka joined the fight and led from the front — as he had always done. A video that later circuated on Instagram showed him delivering an inspiring message of unity:

 

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“Nation of Israel: I expect you to continue to be united, to continue to be robust. … Because only together will we know how to win. … We have no other choice. This is the time to come together. This is the time to unite. This is the time to depend on one another, and to lead toward one goal: Victory. We have no other choice. Victory.”

When a distress call came from a special forces unit, Habaka did not hesitate: he drove straight into the fight.

“Afterwards — he paid with his life,” Emad said.

Anan Habaka, a cousin, flew home from Canada to join the family. He had been in Los Angeles, visiting another cousin, when the war broke out: that cousin was called up to the reserves that same day and is now fighting with his own IDF unit, inside Gaza.

Anan told me: “In the Druze community, we grow up alongside the Jewish community. We know how to have harmony with both cultures. We believe we have a responsibility to make this place better for our children. We believe that life is valuable.

“Our contribution to the army and to Israeli society — our cooperation with the Jewish community — has brought the Druze community the opportunity to have experiences, and to explore, and to educate ourselves, and to achieve professional success in many areas of life.

“At the end of the day, we feel fulfillment that we are doing something to build this land and this country and be proud. … We feel we are serving humanity.”

He reflected on the Palestinian and Lebanese terrorists currently facing off against Israel: “Why don’t you build something? We can live together, and visit each other. Why don’t you build a future?”

Lt. Col. Salman Habaka believed in that future — a future that would be safe for the children of the Middle East, including the child he left behind.

He gave his life so that others might live — and so that no Israeli child would have to fear terror again.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.