Hezbollah Drone Attack Claims Lives of 4 Israeli Soldiers at IDF Base
The attack comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused U.N. peacekeepers of providing ‘human shields’ for Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon.
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed after Hezbollah launched what it called a “swarm of drones” at an army base near Binyamina in central Israel.
Sunday’s attack against a training base of the elite Golani Brigade also led to seven soldiers being severely wounded.
It is the deadliest strike by Hezbollah, who are part of Iran’s so-called axis of resistance since Israel sent troops across the border into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.
“The IDF shares in the grief of the bereaved families and will continue to accompany them,” the IDF added, and asked people to, “refrain from spreading rumours and the names of injured individuals.”
Israel’s national rescue service said 61 people were wounded in the attack, which reportedly occurred when soldiers were eating in the base canteen.
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Hezbollah said in a statement the attack was retaliation for Israeli air strikes on Beirut which killed 22 people.
‘Unique and Complex Operation’
Hezbollah, in a statement released through its al-Manar website, said the attack was a “unique and complex operation” in which launched dozens of missiles towards various targets in the Israeli towns of Akko and Nahariya, “with the aim of distracting the Israeli air defense systems.”
At the same time, they said, a series of new drones penetrated the Israeli air defense radars without being detected and reached their target.
Hezbollah described the drones as Hudhud, a type which is believed to be similar to Samad drones used by the Houthis and based on an Iranian design.
Hezbollah said, “We will remain present and ready to defend our resilient and oppressed nation and will not hesitate to fulfill its duty in deterring the enemy.”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said President Joe Biden had directed Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to authorize deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system to Israel.
Israeli troops are fighting with Hezbollah forces on the ground in southern Lebanon and on Sunday the IDF was accused of crashing tanks through the gates of one of the U.N. peacekeeping bases, at Ramyah.
IDF ‘Putting Peacekeepers in Danger’
It added, “The tanks left about 45 minutes later after Unifil protested through our liaison mechanism, saying that IDF presence was putting peacekeepers in danger.”
Unifil also accused the Israelis of firing smoke rounds near peacekeepers, causing skin irritation, and called the incident, “further flagrant violation of international law.”
“For the fourth time in as many days, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of U.N. personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of U.N. premises at all times,” Unifil added.
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said Hezbollah had fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli forces, wounding 25 soldiers, near the Unifil base.
He said a Merkava tank was helping to evacuate the casualties under fire when it accidentally reversed into the gate of the base.
Shoshani said, “It is not storming a base. It is not trying to enter a base. It was a tank under heavy fire, mass casualty event, backing up to get out of harm’s way.”
But he said any instance of U.N. forces being harmed would be investigated at, “the highest level.”
Israel and Hezbollah have both accused each other of using Unifil positions as “human shields” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked the U.N. to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon.
Unifil ‘Providing Human Shield’
On Sunday, Netanyahu said Unifil was, “providing a human shield” to Hezbollah.
He said, in a video statement, “We regret the injury to the Unifil soldiers, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent this injury. But the simple and obvious way to ensure this is simply to get them out of the danger zone.”
After assisting with the casualties from a Hezbollah drone attack, Israeli soldiers fold gurneys at Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan, Israel on Oct. 13, 2024. Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on the day after Hamas launched its murderous attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
After months of rocket attacks by Hezbollah, Israel escalated the conflict last month with a series of air strikes which killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his senior commanders.
Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel have killed at least 58 people since Oct. 2023, half of them soldiers.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
