JERUSALEM, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli teenagers had reportedly attacked two off-duty soldiers only because they believed the soldiers were Arabs, the police said on Monday.
A police statement said a 16-year-old boy was caught and arrested on suspicion he was part of a group that assaulted the soldiers.
The incident took place in a public park in Pardes Hana, a town in central Israel, on Friday night. The soldiers, who were on a weekend vacation and dressed in civilian clothes, were sitting there with a young female friend and another 17-year-old male friend.
They told the police that the attackers hit them with a hookah pipe and other blunt objects before fleeing the scene.
The victims sustained injuries in their heads and faces and needed hospital care.
Father of one of the victims told Hebrew-language Ynet news site that the families were appalled by the attack.
Hate crimes against Arab citizens of Israel are frequently reported.
