Army lieutenant colonel dies in noncombat incident in Israel

An Army reserves soldier serving as a member of the security staff at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem died Monday, “found unresponsive in his residence,” the Pentagon revealed Thursday.

Army Lt. Col. Orlando Bandeira, 54, of Tampa, Fla., died from noncombat related injuries, and the incident is under investigation, according to a service statement.  

Bandeira enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1997, before transferring to the Army Reserve in October 2019. 

He was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 94th Training Division in Indianapolis and last served as deputy chief of operations at the embassy — a role he had been in for only weeks before his death, according to a LinkedIn page with his name and background. 

The U.S. Embassy to Israel has been in Jerusalem since 2018, after then-President Trump moved it from Tel Aviv, where it had been for about 50 years. 

The move was ill-received by Palestinians and parts of the Arab world. 

The region has grown more contentious following the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, during which Israel’s brutal air and land campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, including children.