October 9, 2026
A serious training error toppled two company and platoon commanders in the Israeli Paratroopers Brigade, after a live bomb was mistakenly fired at a building inside which nine soldiers were simulating an enemy force, in an incident that the leadership of the 98th Division described as one that would have ended in an inevitable disaster.
According to a press report published by journalist Amir Boukhbout on the Israeli “Walla” website, the incident occurred about a week and a half ago at the Paratroopers Brigade training base in the “Tasalim” area in southern Israel, specifically near “Shomeria”, during training for a rehabilitation company of the 98th Division in a built-up area, where live ammunition was fired from a launcher by mistake instead of the ammunition designated for training.
Immediately after the accident occurred, the exercise was immediately stopped without any human casualties being recorded, and the Israeli army launched an urgent investigation into its circumstances.
Today, Tuesday, following the completion of the investigation conducted by the Parachute Brigade Commander and the 98th Division Commander, an official decision was issued to dismiss the company commander and the platoon commander responsible for managing the exercise.
In the context of their comment on the dismissal decision, sources in the Paratroopers Brigade explained that “the company commander and the platoon commander are among our best sons. They fought on all fronts throughout the war, and they have a great reputation for leading soldiers, courage, and striving for excellence.”
For its part, the “Walla” platform quoted a military source in the 98th Division confirming that the live fire towards the building that houses nine soldiers represents a serious violation, explaining by saying: “If the soldier who fired the bomb had succeeded in inserting it through the window, it would have hit the force, and the matter could have ended in disaster.”
With this decision, the incident turned from being merely a serious training defect to taking decisive leadership measures, which required that field responsibility be held at the direct command level for the use of live ammunition outside the safe scope of military training.
