IDF cadets kill ‘aggressive’ dog sicced on them during exercise in north

Army cadets killed an “aggressive” dog that was sent to attack them during an overnight navigation exercise in northern Israel, the army said Thursday.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, a man in the Druze-majority village of Yarka sicced his dog on the cadets for as-yet-unclear reasons. The troops shot at the dog, killing it.

“During a cadet navigation in the north, the owner of the dog set it on one of the cadets, and in response, the cadet shot at the aggressive dog,” the IDF said in a statement.

The dog’s owner then also attempted to attack the cadets, the IDF said, adding that the soldiers had fired into the air in response.

It was unclear what instigated the clash.

Aside from the dog, no injuries were reported.

The military said it was probing the incident, and police meanwhile also launched an investigation.

Last year, a commando soldier was lightly hurt when he was attacked by a number of suspects who stole his weapon during a similar navigation exercise in northern Israel, near the Arab town of Shfaram.