The commanding officer of an elite Israel Defense Force unit has accepted personal responsibility for the deaths of two of his men in a training exercise and has asked to be relieved of his command.
But the officer, who was not identified, is being widely praised by his colleagues, who are surprised by his action.
The officer took the unusual step of asking to be relieved of his command after two soldiers succumbed to heat stroke during a map-reading exercise in the southern Negev last week.
His superior accepted the request. No decision has been made as to his future military service.
It was apparent from hindsight that the exercise should have been called off because of the intense heat — 108 degrees Fahrenheit — and low humidity. The chief of staff accepted the findings of an inquiry board that the local commander should be disciplined for allowing it to continue.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
