Hezbollah attack injures 4 Israeli soldiers in Yiftah

Two suicide drones launched from Lebanon hit an area near Beit Hillel in northern Israel, according to reports from Israeli media. Hezbollah claimed the attacks, stating it targeted tents and sleeping quarters at an Israeli artillery battalion’s new post in Beit Hillel using a swarm of suicide drones.

The Israeli military confirmed the attack but reported no casualties. Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Merkava tank in the Yiftah barracks on the same day, which resulted in injuries to four Israeli soldiers.

According to Hezbollah, the tank was hit by a guided missile after they monitored Israeli movements closely. The Israeli army noted that two anti-tank missiles launched from Lebanon struck the Yiftah area, injuring four of their soldiers—one moderately and three lightly—all of whom were hospitalized.

The ongoing conflict has seen near-daily exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Hezbollah following an initial attack by Hamas on October 7, which sparked a broader conflict in Gaza.

Hezbollah has frequently used explosive-laden drones in these attacks. On the same day, Hezbollah also targeted military positions in the Kfarshouba Hills and other locations along the border.

A senior Hezbollah official, Sheikh Nabil Qaouq, remarked on Monday that Hezbollah’s drone capabilities extend beyond Akka and Haifa in northern Israel, asserting that Hezbollah has disrupted Israeli strategic calculations.

Qaouq emphasized that Israelis would not return to northern Israel until the Gaza conflict ends. The ongoing violence over the past seven months has displaced tens of thousands and caused numerous casualties on both sides of the border.

In Lebanon, the cross-border violence has resulted in the deaths of at least 410 people, mostly militants, but also including 79 civilians, as per an AFP tally. Israel has reported the deaths of 14 soldiers and nine civilians due to these hostilities.