Three border policemen and a paratrooper were slightly wounded Monday night when they mistakenly shot at each other during an Israeli operation in the West Bank.
Israel Radio reported that the units were undercover forces disguised as Arabs. But an army spokesman denied troops were operating undercover in the shooting incident at Silat el-Harthiya, north of Jenin.
Military sources quoted by the Israeli daily Ha’aretz said the responsible officers would probably be disciplined for the slip-up in coordination that led to the exchange.
A paratroop unit opened fire when it spotted several unidentified armed men. The fire was returned before the two units realized they were shooting at friendly forces.
Two officers in the Israel Defense Force Central Command were dismissed over the past year for similar incidents in which two soldiers were killed.
In July, a member of the Duvdevan undercover unit dressed as an Arab was shot dead accidently.
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.
