The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has carried out a drone strike on an Israeli military site, leaving four of the regime’s soldiers dead and dozens more injured.
Hezbollah said on Sunday it fired "a squadron of attack drones" on an Israeli training camp in northern occupied territories.
Israel’s national emergency medical service said at least four Israeli soldiers were killed and at least 61 others were injured in the drone strike on the military base for the Golani Brigade in Binyamina south of Haifa.
But independent media reports said more than 100 people were injured in the attack. Seven of the injured Israeli soldiers are in critical condition, according to reports.
Israeli military confirms deaths of four soldiers in Hezbollah strike in southern Haifa pic.twitter.com/HSzD1mFKI5
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) October 13, 2024
Trained for combat, the Golani Brigade is one of the five infantry brigades of the Israeli army.
There have been other rocket and drone attacks on Israeli military sites. They include a rehabilitation and maintenance center south of Haifa that was targeted with a barrage of rockets and a logistics base in the occupied Golan Heights.
Hezbollah also fought off Israeli soldiers by ambushing the outskirts of a town in southern Lebanon.
The resistance fighters used a barrage of rockets and machine guns in the ambush, forcing the regime’s troopers to withdraw.
Hezbollah said in a statement that the "fighters of the Islamic Resistance targeted (for the fifth time) a gathering of Israeli enemy forces in the Manara settlement with a rocket barrage."
"The fighters of the Islamic Resistance targeted a gathering of Israeli enemy forces at the Hounin barracks with a barrage of rockets," Hezbollah said.
It added that "the fighters of the Islamic Resistance targeted movements of the zionist forces near the Fatima Gate in the town of Kfar Kila with artillery shells at 10:00 PM on Sunday, October 13, 2024."
Hezbollah said its operations were conducted in support of Palestinians in Gaza and in defense of Lebanon.
Number of Israeli soldiers injured in Hezbollah drone strike in southern Haifa rises to 110 pic.twitter.com/EdkfWmRpzG
— Palestine Highlights (@PalHighlight) October 13, 2024
Hezbollah said the operation was in “response to Zionist attacks” including airstrikes in the central Beirut neighborhoods of Basta and Nweiri that killed 22 people on Thursday, and in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Its "fighters attacked Israeli enemy forces in... Aita al-Shaab and violent clashes took place with machine guns, rockets, and artillery shells," the resistance movement said earlier.
Israeli media reported that two drones were launched from Lebanon, and one made it through the Israeli regime’s advanced air defense systems.
The drone fired a missile at the target before crashing and exploding into it, reports said.
It was the second time in two days that a drone launched by Hezbollah has struck in the occupied territories. On Saturday, a drone targeted a suburb of Tel Aviv, causing damage but no injuries.
How Hezbollah penetrated Israel’s air defense systems
Hezbollah released a statement detailing how it carried out the drone attack on the Israeli army base.
“In a qualitative and complex operation, the missile force…launched dozens of missiles towards various targets… with the aim of occupying the Israeli air defence systems,” the Hezbollah statement said.
“At the same time, the air force of the Islamic Resistance launched squadrons of various drones towards various areas in Acre and Haifa. The qualitative drones were able to penetrate the Israeli air defense radars without being detected and reached their target in a training camp for the elite Golani Brigade in the Binyamina area," it said.
“They exploded in the rooms where dozens of Israeli enemy officers and soldiers were present who were preparing to participate in the attack on Lebanon, including senior officers, resulting in the killing and wounding of dozens.”
The latest drone strike came after the United States announced it would send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel to help the regime against incoming missiles.