(JTA) — An Israeli Air Force pilot died Wednesday after ejecting from a fighter jet in southern Israel.

The unnamed pilot was in the process of landing at the Ramon Airbase, near the town of Mitzpe Ramon, when he and the plane’s navigator ejected from the F-16I jet. Following the ejection, the plane burst into flames.

The navigator survived and was transported to a hospital with light injuries, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Israeli Air Force Commander Amir Eshel ordered an investigation into the incident.

On Wednesday, Israel’s army and Air Force shelled Hamas targets and hit Hamas posts in northern and southern Gaza after a rocket fired from Gaza exploded on a residential street in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. </s> An Israel Air Force F-16I fighter jet during a training exercise in Israel, in 2013.

An Israeli Air Force pilot was killed Wednesday as he ejected from his F-16I fighter jet after returning from an airstrike mission in the Gaza Strip.

The Israel Air Force struck three Hamas sites in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, after a rocket fired from Gaza exploded in the Israeli border city of Sderot.

The pilot who was killed was identified as Maj. Ohad Cohen Nov, 34, who recently assumed the position of squadron deputy commander. He was survived by his pregnant wife and daughter, as well as his parents and two sisters.

Maj. Ohad Cohen Nov. IDF Spokesperson's Unit

A navigator who was also in the aircraft successfully ejected and escaped the incident unharmed.

It was initially unclear why the jet's crew decided to abandon the aircraft as they were already in the landing stages over the Ramon Air Force base.

The F-16I burst into flames following the ejection of the crew.

Air Force commander Major General Amir Eshel appointed a team of investigators to determine the details of the incident.

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The aircraft, know as the "Sufa" ("Storm") in Hebrew, is the most advanced aircraft currently in service in the Israeli Air Force. The first of these aircraft arrived in Israel in February, 2004 and have been in service ongoingly ever since.

The slightly altered Israeli version of the American-built F-16 has crashed three times during its use by the Israeli Air Force.

During the Second Lebanon War of 2006, a fully-armed F-16I en route to Lebanon for operational activity crashed on the runway when one of its tires exploded during takeoff. The crew all escaped unharmed, but the plane was badly damaged.

In 2010, an F-16I crashed near Mitzpeh Ramon while leading three other planes on a nighttime exercise. In that case, both crew members – Maj. Amichai Itkes and Maj. Immanuel Levy – were killed.

Finally, three years ago, an F-16I crashed during a training flight about 40 miles off the coast of the Gaza Strip. Both crew members escaped unhurt. They later reported that they had experienced an engine failure, and when they were unable to solve the problem, they decided to abandon the plane over the sea. </s> An Israeli air force pilot has died after he ejected from a fighter jet which had caught fire.

The F-16I jet crash landed while flying in to the Ramon Air Force base in southern Israel.

Deputy squadron commander Major Ohad Cohen Nov was killed as he attempted to escape the flames.

The 34-year-old was reportedly flying his plane back from Gaza, where the Israeli air force says it was launching attacks on Hamas targets in the Gaza strip in an apparent reaction to the bombing of the border town of Sderot earlier in the week.

Major Nov’s co-pilot was injured during the crash and evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

“The families have been notified and an Air-Force commission to review the circumstances of the crash has commenced,” the air force said in a statement.

“Deputy Squadron Commander, Maj. Ohad Cohen Nov, 34, is the pilot that was killed in the crash earlier today. May his memory be a blessing.”

Israeli police said there were no casualties when a rocket struck Sderot but the air force retaliated by attacking three Hamas training camps, believing the group was responsible for the strike.

“[The rocket attack] is the direct result of Hamas’ terror agenda in the Gaza Strip that encourages deliberate attacks against Israeli civilians,” army spokesman Peter Lerner said in a statement.

Local reports suggest the rocket was launched by members of Ahfad Sahaba, an Isis-affiliated group operating in the area, and had nothing to do with Hamas fighters.

The group posted a statement on various news websites claiming to have carried out the attack in the name of “oppressed brothers and sisters” under Israeli occupation.

Hamas is yet to offer any statement regarding the death of Major Nov, but said of the Israeli attacks in Gaza: “Hamas stresses it can not keep silent if the escalation continues.”

Major Nov’s funeral is due to be held at Moshav Mazor cemetery on Friday morning, the air force confirmed on Twitter. </s> Israel launched a large-scale air raid in Syria after one of its F-16 fighters crashed while under Syrian anti-aircraft fire. It was not clear whether the jet was hit. Both pilots managed to eject and landed in Israel. It is believed to be the first time Israel has lost a jet in the Syrian conflict </s> LAS VEGAS — A military jet crashed during exercises Wednesday over a vast U.S. Air Force reserve in central Nevada, officials said.

The F-16 fighter from Nellis Air Force Base crashed on the Nevada Test and Training Range, said base spokesman Staff Sgt. Jason Coulliard.

The condition of the pilot or pilots and the location on the 4,500-square-mile (11,655-square-kilometer) training range were not immediately made public.

A statement said emergency crews were at the scene and an accident investigation had begun.

The incident was the third U.S. military aircraft crash this week.

Four crew members were killed when a Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter crashed Tuesday in California during a training mission along the U.S.-Mexico border west of El Centro.

The same day, a Marine Harrier jet crashed during takeoff from an airport in the East African nation of Djibouti. The pilot ejected and was medically evaluated.

Last September at Nellis, a U.S. Air Force pilot died of injuries after a crash on the training range about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of the base.

Officials did not disclose the type of aircraft Lt. Col. Eric Schultz had been piloting. He was assigned to a military command that conducts research and weapon system tests.

In January, an unspecified military aircraft aborted takeoff and caught fire at Nellis, but no serious injuries were reported. </s> An Israeli F-16 fighter jet crashed Saturday in northern Israel after coming under "massive anti-aircraft fire" from Syrian forces, according to the Israeli army.

The incident came after an Israeli combat helicopter successfully intercepted an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle that had been launched from Syria, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Both pilots aboard the Israeli jet are safe, the Israeli army said, although one pilot was severely injured as a result of an emergency evacuation from the plane.

The crash happened as Israeli forces attacked 12 targets in Syria, including three aerial defense batteries and four targets described as Iranian, the IDF said.

The IDF statement described the four Iranian targets as "part of Iran's military establishment in Syria."

The statement concludes: "The IDF will act determinately against such severe violations of Israeli sovereignty by Iran and Syria and will continue to act as necessary."

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that Syrian air defense forces had responded Saturday to what they called an Israeli "aggression" by hitting more than one Israeli plane, following attacks on a Syrian military base by Israel jets.

"The Israeli enemy entity early morning at dawn conducted a new aggression against one of the military bases in the central region," SANA said, citing a military source.

IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus told CNN that only one Israeli aircraft had come down, with all others returning safely to base. The cause of the F-16 crash is being investigated, Conricus said.

He said in a tweet that "Iran is responsible for this severe violation of Israeli sovereignty."

Earlier this week, the Syrian regime claimed that Israel warplanes fired several missiles from Lebanese airspace targeting a Syrian military position in the Damascus countryside, SANA reported.

The Syrian regime said they intercepted the missiles and destroyed most of them, according to SANA.

The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident.

Tensions between Israel and Syria have escalated in recent months.

Israel has conducted dozens of strikes inside Syrian borders to defend what it calls its red lines, and to prevent what it says is Iran's proxy Hezbollah -- fighting alongside the Syrian regime -- from acquiring advanced weaponry.

Authorities also accused Syria in November of violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement by "conducting construction work" in the northern part of the Golan Demilitarized Zone.

The United Nations called Tuesday for a month-long humanitarian ceasefire throughout Syria as fighting escalates in certain areas.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime recently intensified airstrikes on rebel-held areas such as Syria's northwestern Idlib province, prompting tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes, according to UN officials.

A Russian warplane was shot down in Idlib last week. </s> A Nellis Air Force Base fighter jet crashed Wednesday morning during a routine training mission outside Las Vegas, military officials said.

The F-16 crashed at the Nevada Test and Training Range about 10:30 a.m., a Nellis spokesman said. He said emergency responders were on the scene and the crash was under investigation. The pilot’s condition was not immediately clear.

The test range covers 3 million acres and provides 12,000 square miles of restricted airspace to the north and northwest of Las Vegas for pilots to rehearse and test warplanes.

In September, an Air Force pilot, Lt. Col. Eric Shultz, was killed in a plane crash during a training mission on the Nellis range. The day after Shultz was killed, two pilots safely ejected from A-10C Thunderbolt II jets during training. The two pilots were hospitalized but later were released with minor injuries.

On Tuesday, four crew members were killed when a Marine helicopter crashed during a training mission in Southern California. The CH-53E Super Stallion crashed in a desert area just outside El Centro, near the U.S. -Mexico border. The helicopter was assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of the Air Station Miramar in San Diego. The crew members have not yet been identified and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

The first operational F-16 was delivered to Hill Air Force Base in Utah at the beginning of 1979, according to the Air Force’s website. Depending on the variation of the plane, F-16s can cost up to $18.8 million and can travel at speeds of 1,500 mph.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) made no prior announcement of the F-15 drills, which left residents in Tel Aviv struggling for an explanation.

Police said in a statement that "many calls were received from worried citizens about noise from a squadron of planes in the Tel Aviv area." It cautioned: "We would like to make clear they were training for the Independence Day aerial display. There's no emergency."

The F-15s maneuvered through the sky, practicing drastic turns, climbs and dives in "what appeared to be a mock dogfight," according to the Jerusalem Post. The roar of the F-15 engines was audible in the streets.

​The false alarm comes at a moment when Israel is engaged in conflict on two fronts: with Syria — in its Golan Heights, which Israel occupies with Islamist proxies — as well as Israel's strike last week on the Syrian T-4 airbase in the liberated Homs province — and Israel's violent response to protests in Gaza by Israel's border fence.

This is not the IDF's first oversight to occur at a time when war could break out at any moment — or already has. US Army Colonel David "Mickey" Marcus was accidentally shot to death by Israeli friendly fire while returning to base at night during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

During the 1967 Six-Day War, Israeli Air Force jets and Navy motor torpedo boats accidentally attacked the USS Liberty, killing 34 members of the US military.

During the 2008-09 Gaza War, also called Operation Cast Lead, three IDF soldiers were killed and 24 were wounded when an Israeli tank fired a live round at an abandoned building in which other IDF soldiers were taking cover. </s> A Russian fighter jet crashed after taking off from an airbase in Syria on Thursday, killing both pilots, Moscow’s defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies.

 “As it was climbing after taking off from the Hmeimim airbase, the Russian fighter Su-30SM crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.

 Two pilots, who fought until the last minute to save the plane, died, according to reports from the scene,” the statement said.

 The ministry said the plane had not come under fire, adding that “according to preliminary information, the reason for the crash could have been a bird falling into the engine”.

 The accident brings Russia’s official military losses in Syria to 86. The most recent acknowledged military loss came when a transport plane crashed on landing at the Hmeimim airbase in March, killing all 39 people on board.

 But Russian nationals are regularly reported to be serving as paid mercenaries in Syria and taking on dangerous missions that often lead to casualties.—AFP
An Israeli Air Force F-16 crashes while attempting to land at Ramon Airbase in southern Israel, killing the pilot. A navigator who was also in the aircraft successfully ejects and escapes the incident unharmed.