An IDF officer and another soldier were attacked by settlers Jewish who sprayed them with tear gas on the West Bank, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said on Wednesday.
The troops arrived in the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir after a local farmer reported settlers were carrying out a suspected hate crime on his property.
The soldiers — who are attached to Israel's governing body on the West Bank, or the Civil Administration — questioned the farmer on his allegations when six people from nearby settlements arrived on the scene and demanded that the soldiers remove the farmer from the area.
An altercation ensued during which the two servicemembers tried to whisk away the farmer in their military vehicle for fear for his safety.
The settlers were, however, undeterred and began chasing the vehicle. One of the attackers was able to reach into the car and spray its passengers with tear gas.
Police launched a probe into the incident.
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Border Police vehicle damaged in an attack on troops carried out by settlers near the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar on Monday
(Photo: Israel Police)
The attack came just two days after Border Police troops were attacked by masked settlers near the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar, lightly wounding one of them.No arrests have been made in regards to the attack.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi condemned the attack and vowed to show zero tolerance for violence against security forces.