More than 60 people have been injured in a drone strike on central Israel, according to rescue services. This attack stands out as one of the bloodiest incidents to hit the country in a year marked by conflict. The Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group has claimed responsibility for the strike on the city of Binyamina on Sunday, citing retaliation for two Israeli strikes on Beirut last Thursday that resulted in the deaths of 22 individuals.
Despite Israel’s advanced air-defense systems, it is unusual for such a high number of casualties to occur due to drones or missiles, with some of the wounded reported to be in critical condition. Reports from Israeli media suggest that two drones were launched from Lebanon, but the military has stated that one of them was intercepted.
The precise details of the strike, including whether military personnel were among the injured and the specific target in Binyamina, remain unclear at this time. Israel’s military previously confirmed that at least 115 rockets were fired from Lebanon. This incident follows another drone strike in Israel a day earlier, during the Yom Kippur holiday, where a suburb of Tel Aviv was targeted, resulting in property damage but no injuries.
On the same day as the latest strike, the United States announced plans to send a new air-defense system to Israel to enhance its missile protection capabilities, alongside the necessary troops to operate it. Israel, currently engaged in conflicts with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – both Iran-backed militant groups – is anticipated to retaliate against Iran following a recent missile attack, though the specifics of such action have not been disclosed.
Hezbollah launched rocket attacks into Israel shortly after Hamas initiated a surprise attack on Israel in October last year, leading to retaliatory airstrikes. The situation escalated drastically in September with Israeli strikes that caused the deaths of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several senior commanders. A ground operation was subsequently initiated by Israel earlier this month, resulting in over 1,400 deaths in Lebanon, as reported by the country’s Health Ministry, which has not specified how many casualties were Hezbollah fighters. In Israel, at least 54 individuals have been killed in rocket attacks, with almost half of them being soldiers.