IDF kills two Israelis in case of mistaken identity

IDF forces shot dead two Israeli security guards near a Hebron-area West Bank settlement Thursday afternoon, apparently believing them to be terrorists.

The army said it had received warnings of a possible terror attack in the area and that the two Israelis had not heeded soldiers' calls to stop. The IDF Spokesman expressed regret and is conducting an investigation into the incident, which took place at 1 P.M. on a road east of the Pnei Hever settlement, close to the Zif Highway junction.

At the time of the shooting, one of the victims - who were in charge of guarding an antenna used for research and development on a hilltop in the area - had pulled over to the side of the road to make some coffee, and the other one began driving away.

Soldiers had been searching for Palestinians whom army intelligence had reported were planning to attack an Israeli vehicle on the road leading to Pnei Hever. An elite lookout force noticed the armed security guard in the car and called for help from shooters on the ground.

The soldiers said they called on the guard to stop. According to several reports, he stopped and got out of the car, after which he was shot dead. According to other reports, he was shot as soon as he began driving.

In either case, the second security guard heard the shots and began running to his aid when an Air Force helicopter fired a rocket and killed him.

It was intially believed that the shooting was an ambush attack in which Palestinians disguised as soldiers had opened fire on an Israeli car.

The army has beefed up forces and gone on special alert in and around Hebron in recent days, after a series of Palestinian attacks on settlers and soldiers in the flashpoint city.