More than 60 people have been injured in a drone strike on central Israel, rescue services have said, in what is one of the bloodiest attacks on the country in a year of war.
The Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group claimed responsibility for the hit on the city of Binyamina on Sunday, saying it targeted a military camp in retaliation for two Israeli strikes on Beirut on Thursday that killed 22 people.
With Israel’s advanced air-defence systems, it is rare for so many people to be hurt by drones or missiles, with some of the wounded left in critical condition. Israeli media reported that two drones were launched from Lebanon, but the military said one was intercepted.
It was not immediately clear whether military members were hurt or what was hit in Binyamina. There were no details from Israel’s military, which earlier reported that at least 115 rockets were fired from Lebanon.
It was the second time in two days that a drone has struck in Israel. On Saturday, during the Israeli holiday of Yom Kippur, one hit a suburb of Tel Aviv, causing damage but no injuries.
The latest strike came on the same day that the United States announced it would send a new air-defense system to Israel to help bolster its protection against missiles, along with the troops needed to operate it. An Israeli army spokesperson declined to provide a timeline.
Israel is now at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – both Iran-backed militant groups – and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month, though it has not said how or when. Iran has said it will respond to any Israeli attack.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel a day after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on 7 October, 2023, drawing retaliatory airstrikes. The conflict dramatically escalated in September with Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and most of his senior commanders.
Israel launched a ground operation earlier this month. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since September, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were Hezbollah fighters. At least 54 people have been killed in rocket attacks on Israel, nearly half of them soldiers.