Four Israeli Soldiers Killed and Over 60 Injured in Hezbollah Drone Attacks on Army Base

Four Israeli soldiers were killed and over 60 people were injured in a Hezbollah drone attack on an army base in central-northern Israel, according to first responders and the Israeli military.

The incident, which occurred late Sunday night, October 13, marks one of the deadliest attacks on Israel since the war began last October.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched by Hezbollah struck an army base near Binyamina, a town north of Tel Aviv located about 40 miles from the Lebanese border.

In addition to the four fatalities, seven soldiers sustained serious injuries, according to the IDF.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service indicated that a total of 61 people were wounded in the attack.

This news follows Hezbollah’s announcement on Sunday that it had launched a swarm of attack drones at an Israeli infantry training camp in Binyamina.

The Lebanon-based militant group stated that the attack was a response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Thursday that resulted in 22 deaths and 117 injuries, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Hezbollah claimed to have targeted the Golani Brigade, an infantry unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed in southern Lebanon.

This claim of responsibility came shortly after the group released an audio message from its slain leader, Hassan Nasrallah, urging members to “defend your people, your family, your nation, your values, and your dignity.”

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF reported intercepting a UAV launched from Lebanon, although they did not specify the location. It remains unclear if this incident is connected to the injuries reported.

Hezbollah also stated that it had fired dozens of rockets at the northern Israeli towns of Nahariya and Acre to engage Israel’s air defense systems while simultaneously launching the drone swarm.

“These drones broke through the Israel defense radars without detection and reached its target at the training camp of the elite Golani Brigade in Binyamina,” Hezbollah said.

The IDF’s chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, stated that the military would investigate how the drone was able to penetrate the base without triggering an alarm.

“We will learn from and investigate the incident,” he said in a video statement from the base. “The threat of UAVs is a threat we are dealing with since the beginning of the war. We need an improvement to our defense,” he added.

The Binyamina attack occurs nearly two weeks after Israel initiated a ground operation in southern Lebanon.