Two Israeli commandos were lightly injured on Tuesday after an old grenade detonated on a military base near Jerusalem during a training exercise.
The soldiers — both of the elite Duvdevan unit which is noted for undercover operations in urban areas — sustained injuries from shrapnel sprayed at their hands and feet. They received initial treatment at the scene and were taken to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem.
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First responders at the scene of the accident, near Jerusalem, January 18, 2022
(Photo: Rescuers Without Borders)
A preliminary investigation into the incident indicates that one of the soldiers kicked the grenade which was laying on the ground, causing it to explode. Investigators believe the grenade was unrelated to the training exercise and slipped into a ditch in a previous drill.
The grenade was not detected during a prescan troops were supposed to perform on the training ground prior to the drill and it remains unclear why the soldier kicked it.
This is the second training accident to hit the Israeli military's Commando Brigade in the span of five days after two officers of the Egoz unit were killed in a friendly fire incident during a nighttime chase after an armed suspect. Both accidents took place only several miles apart.
Earlier this month, an Israeli military helicopter crashed off the coast of northern Israel during a training flight, killing its two pilots. A third crew member, an aerial observer, was moderately injured and evacuated to a hospital.