Hikers enter a suspected minefield and get arrested
Military teams contact two hikers who entered an area marked as 'suspected minefield' in the Golan Heights; A helicopter was dispatched to the site, but the hikers did not wait for the rescuers and left the area on their own; Apparently, they 'were looking for edible plants.'
Two hikers were arrested Sunday after entering a territory suspected as a minefield in the Daughters of Jacob Bridge area in the Golan Heights.
Army teams contacted them and a helicopter was immediately deployed to help with the rescue. However, the hikers did not wait for the rescuers and walked out of the field on their own. Upon exiting the field, they were arrested and taken in for questioning.
The event began in the early afternoon in the area between the Daughters of Jacob Bridge and the Upper Custom House in the western Golan Heights.
Two civilians, residents of Beit Jann aged 40 and 54, entered an area defined as a "suspected minefield." After passersby noticed the two and the fact that they had entered a dangerous area, they notified the police and the military, and forces were immediately dispatched.
Among the rescue teams were a helicopter from the IDF's heliborne Combat Search & Rescue extraction unit (Unit 669) as well as large Engineering forces trained to handle minefields. The IDF reported that the hikers were contacted and asked to stay still until the rescue forces could reach them.
However, the two extracted themselves on their own and were fortunately unharmed. The two were later interrogated at the police station in Katzrin, where they said they had entered the field in search of edible plants.
