Two IDF soldiers were killed and three wounded—one moderate and two light—from an exploding fragmentation grenade inside their vehicle Sunday morning, near the entrance to Mount Hermon and a military base in the Majdal Shams area. The injured soldiers were evacuated by helicopter to Maimonides Hospital in Haifa.
The two who were killed were Sergeant Shlomo Rindenau, 20, whose family lives in New Jersey; and Sergeant Hossam Tafesh, 24, from Beit Jan.
According to a preliminary report, the soldiers’ jeep stopped for an unknown reason near the Majdal Shams check post, about six feet from the wall; the driver, Tafesh, a reservist, got out of the jeep and was holding the grenade in his hand for a yet unknown reason. He surrounded the vehicle and approached the open door with the grenade, following which the grenade exploded and he and another soldier were killed.
So far, according to IDF sources, the entire event is still a mystery.