A group of soldiers from an elite IDF commando unit were booted after they lost a laptop computer carrying sensitive information during a trip to a gas station.
According to a report by Yediot Ahronot Thursday morning, the incident occurred following an operation activity – the details of which remain classified – by members of the elite air force commando paratrooper Unit 5101, or the “Shaldag” (Kingfisher) unit.
Following the operation, five soldiers from the Shaldag unit stopped at a gas station while en route back to the Palmachim airbase, south of Tel Aviv, where they are stationed.
The soldiers went to buy refreshments, and one soldier, who was carrying the computer bearing classified IDF information, went to a coffee shop attached to the gas station.
After making their purchases, the soldiers returned to their vehicle, while leaving the computer back at the gas station.
At some point, a bus driver spotted the computer. Realizing that the laptop contained sensitive military information, the driver contacted local police to collect the device.
A senior IDF official said that had the laptop fallen into enemy hands, the results could have been disastrous for Israeli security.
Military investigators have opened a probe into the incident, and the five soldiers involved have been removed from the Shaldag unit and barred from receiving combat positions.