The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said four soldiers were killed and more than 60 others were injured in a drone attack targeting an army base in northern Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces added that seven soldiers were seriously injured in the attack on the base “adjacent to Binyamina,” a town about 20 miles (33 kilometers) south of Haifa.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a training camp for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Golani Brigade in the region, based between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The militant group’s press office said the attack was in response to Thursday’s Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut.
The group said it had used a “swarm of drones” to target camps in northern Israel.
Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said 61 people were injured in the attack, three of them seriously. It added that 37 of them were taken by ambulance or helicopter to eight hospitals in the region.
Before the IDF confirmed the deaths, the MDA said in a statement that in addition to the three who were seriously injured, 18 of the victims had moderate injuries, 31 had minor injuries, and nine were “suffering from anxiety.” .
It is unclear why there is a difference in the number of serious injuries between MDA and IDF.
Israeli censorship rules prevent news outlets from saying exactly where and what was targeted, but some outlets believe the location was a low-altitude drone launched from Lebanon (with a relatively simple weapon). (the early warning system does not appear to have been activated).
Footage reported by Israeli media showed injured people being assisted by helicopters and other emergency vehicles.
Many of the injured have been evacuated to Hillel Jaffe Medical Center near Hadera, while others have been taken to hospitals in Tel Hashomer, Haifa, Afula and Netanya.
Details are still unclear, but it appears that many of the injured were in the communal cafeteria at the time and were caught completely by surprise. Images circulating on social media appear to show an empty cafeteria with a hole in the roof.
