Two Israeli soldiers, including 39-year-old Reserve Master Sergeant Ofer Young from Tel Aviv, were killed in an attack at a Pillbox military position near Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley early Tuesday morning. The soldiers belonged to Reserve Battalion 8211, which has been conducting operational activities in the sector for several weeks.
This incident marks the second deadly attack on the same battalion in recent weeks. Just two weeks ago, the battalion's commander was seriously wounded and a soldier was killed when their vehicle hit an explosive device in Tamun. In today's attack, the deputy battalion commander, who had taken command following the previous incident, was among those wounded in the firefight with the attacker.
According to the military investigation, the incident began shortly before 6:00 AM when two soldiers left the Pillbox position to man a nearby checkpoint as part of their regular duty rotation. The attacker, armed with an M-16 rifle, two magazines, and wearing body armor, had apparently infiltrated the area on foot during the night and ambushed the soldiers at extremely close range near the post's entrance.
The attack initiated an extended firefight between the assailant and the remaining military unit, which consisted of 11 soldiers inside the position. During the exchange of fire, the attacker managed to enter both the military post and the Pillbox structure itself. While earlier reports suggested the attacker had reached the top of the Pillbox, the IDF has clarified this was not the case.
The incident concluded when one of the soldiers from the battalion commander's unit successfully hit the attacker with a fragmentation grenade as he attempted to flee the scene. This ended the shooting, and soldiers then confirmed the attacker had been neutralized.
