A man dressed as an IDF soldier attempted to steal a female soldier's gun in the Ashkelon region Sunday night.
The suspect, who was dressed as an IDF soldier, attacked a female soldier at Ashkelon Junction in the southern coastal plain, and apparently tried to steal her firearm.
Security forces were dispatched to the scene, while an IDF officer who happened to be at the scene opened fire and neutralized the suspect.
The Israeli army confirmed the incident, saying in a statement Sunday: "An IDF officer thwarted an attempt to steal an IDF weapon adjacent to the city of Ashkelon. The suspect was neutralized."
The officer who neutralized the suspect is the Commanding Officer of the Binyamin Regional Brigade, Col. Eliav Elbaz.
Following a preliminary investigation into the incident, police said that the incident was not terror-related, and that the suspect is an Israeli Jewish man suffering from mental illness who recently escaped from a mental health treatment center.