2 Israeli officers killed in friendly fire incident

By Said Amouri and Yousef Ibrahim

JERUSALEM (AA) – Two Israeli army officers were killed by friendly fire early Thursday near the Jordan Valley, the Israeli army said.

"Two Israeli officers were killed tonight, during guarding work near a camp in the Jordan Valley, as a result of friendly fire," the army said in a statement.

"The families of the two officers have been notified, and the circumstances of the accident are being investigated," it added.

A senior officer, who did not reveal his identity, told the Israeli Walla website that the two dead officers were from a commando unit.

According to the officer, the incident occurred after the end of a training day in a camp in the Nabi Musa area.

The two officers went out on a patrol around the military base, during which they suspected a person, and proceeded to arrest him, he said.

He added: "... ended with shooting in the air, but it turned out that that person was another fighter serving with them in the same unit, who believed that they were shooting at him and therefore he shot them in return, killing them."