On Wednesday, a squadron of Israeli Air Force jets was deployed in response to a rocket attack launched from Gaza.
"Today’s attack, the second since the beginning of August in the city of Sderot, is the direct result of Hamas’ terror agenda in the Gaza Strip that encourages deliberate attacks against Israeli civilians," said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, according to Defense News.
While no civilians were killed in the attack, the Israeli military did lose one of its own in what it called a "Class A mishap."
Returning from its strike mission over Gaza, one of the F-16I fighter jets was en route to Ramon Air Base southwest of Beersheba. The pilot and navigator operated normally when, around 5 pm, "for some reason, they felt the need to eject."
According to the Jerusalem Post, the jet caught fire shortly before the pilots ejected.
"We have no specifics yet to offer," said Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, according to Defense One.
"It happened while they were landing. An inquiry is ongoing to review the circumstances."
While the navigator suffered only minor injuries, the pilot, identified as Major Ohad Cohen, was killed.
While an investigation is ongoing, officials so far believe the incident to be the result of human error. The air force has no plans to ground its F-16I fleet.
A similar incident occurred in 2013, when an F-16I crashed into the Mediterranean during a training flight. The pilot and navigator ejected in time and both parachuted to sea, where they were rescued.
Another F-16I fighter crashed in southern Israel during a training exercise in 2010. Both the pilot and navigator were killed.
