Friendly fire kills one IDF soldier, may have caused other fatalities

[IndianaGreen]

We know a lot about friendly fire incidents involving our military, don't we? RIP

Last update - 07:18 10/08/2006

Friendly fire kills one IDF soldier, may have caused other fatalities

By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent

An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed Wednesday by friendly fire from a tank in the eastern sector of south Lebanon. The IDF will also be investigating whether one of the two paratroopers killed on Tuesday in Bint Jbail was also hit by friendly fire.

Wednesday's incident took place in the village of A-Taibeh. A reserve paratroopers force had taken up position in a home in the village and was mistakenly identified by an IDF tank crew as a Hezbollah cell. The tank then opened fire on the house, killing one of the soldiers.

A second soldier was seriously wounded in the incident; one other soldier sustained moderate wounds and eight were lightly hurt. The wounded were evacuated to Israeli hospitals during the course of the day.

The casualties were part of the same reserve brigade that lost 12 of its soldiers on Sunday when a Katyusha rocket slammed into them close to Kibbutz Kfar Giladi.

Over the coming days, the IDF's Paratroopers Brigade will conduct an inquiry into the death of Staff Sergeant Oren Lifshitz , from Kibbutz Gazit, who was killed on Tuesday while trying to rescue Staff Sergeant Moran Cohen, a fellow paratrooper from Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov Ichud who died from wounds sustained in clashes with Hezbollah guerrillas in Bint Jbail.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/749015.html

[TomInTib]

1. Basically, this means they are blasting the shit out of everything

"friendly fire" usually entails misplaced small-arms or artillery fire.

When 'friendlies' are being killed by tank fire, that means that the tanks are firing indiscriminately.

Just goes to show that the bastards are laying down big-time.

[Roy]

2. The result of placing young kids in a bad situation?

Wednesday's incident took place in the village of A-Taibeh. A reserve paratroopers force had taken up position in a home in the village and was mistakenly identified by an IDF tank crew as a Hezbollah cell.

was mistakenly identified by an IDF tank crew as a Hezbollah cell.

was mistakenly identified by an IDF tank crew as a Hezbollah cell.

I noticed these Iraeli soldiers have very young looking faces. Most look like late teens or early 20's.
I really hope these are scared young kids, and not orders that if it moves shoot it, if it don't move shoot it.

Someone really needs to do something quick!

[DavidDvorkin]

4. Young and drafted

Israel has mandatory military service. The great majority aren't volunteers.

[Yupster]

3. Regretable, but

happens in every war.