On Sunday night, the town of Binyamina in northern Israel was attacked by drones belonging to the Hezbollah. According to information from Israel’s national emergency service organization Magen David Adom and the Israeli Defense Forces, the attack resulted in at least 67 injuries, with 4 people in critical condition and 19 others sustaining moderate to severe injuries.
This attack marks one of the bloodiest since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war in October last year. On October 7 of last year, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched unprecedented attacks on Israel, sparking the Gaza conflict. The following day, Hezbollah began attacking Israel to pressure the Israeli military to halt the war in Gaza. Since then, Israel has been frequently engaging in clashes with Hezbollah along the border.
On Sunday, Hezbollah announced that they had launched attack drones towards the “Golan” infantry training camp in Binyamina, Israel. The organization stated that this attack was in response to Israel’s strike on Lebanon on Thursday, October 10.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated on Sunday that they intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon but did not specify the exact location of the interception.
According to BBC reports, Israeli censorship rules prohibit media from accurately reporting the targets and locations of attacks. However, some media outlets have indicated that the attack was carried out by a low-altitude drone launched from Lebanon. This relatively uncomplicated drone appeared not to have triggered Israel’s warning alarms.
The injured were transported to hospitals across Israel. The Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in central northern Israel reported treating 36 victims of the “drone incident,” noting variations in the severity of injuries.
Details about the attack remain unclear. It appears that many victims were caught off guard while dining in a public cafeteria at the time of the drone strike. Images circulating on social media show the cafeteria deserted, with a hole in the roof.
Amid escalating security tensions in Israel, the United States announced on Sunday that it would provide advanced missile defense systems and deploy U.S. military personnel to operate these systems in Israel.
Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder stated on Sunday that deploying the THAAD defense system would enhance Israel’s integrated air defense system.