During the 1936-1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, Sa'b led a contingent of some 30 Lebanese volunteers, mostly Druze, to aid local rebels fighting against British rule and the growing Zionist movement.[3] Sa'b and all of the volunteer contingents from the Arab world were under the overall command of Fawzi al-Qawuqji, a Syrian anti-colonialist rebel leader. Much of Sa'b's activity was centered in northern Palestine, particularly around the village of Bal'a,[4] where his rebels fought a battle against British forces on 3 September 1936, in which two Druze volunteers were killed, including Mahmud Abu Yahya, a well-known rebel from the Great Syrian Revolt.[5]
In 1941, Sa'b died fighting the British Army in Iraq. The vehicle he was traveling had been bombed by British forces, and according to local accounts, Sa'b died protecting al-Qawuqji who was also in the vehicle.[2]