14 IDF soldiers, 4 civilians wounded as Hezbollah launches missiles and drones in northern Israel
Tel Aviv/IBNS: At least 14 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and four civilians were injured as an explosive drone reportedly launched from Lebanon struck a community centre in the northern Israeli border village of Arab al-Aramshe on Wednesday (Apr 17).
Claiming their responsibility for the attack, Iran-aligned Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said the attack was carried out on a military facility in retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed its members.
Hezbollah said that it had carried out “a combined attack with guided missiles and explosive drones on a new military reconnaissance command centre in Arab al-Aramshe,” which is an Arab-majority village of northern Israel near the Lebanese border.
#NEW — ⚡️🇱🇧🇮🇱More from the Hezbollah drone hit on the Arab israeli town of Arab Al Aramshe an hours ago pic.twitter.com/NkWqC3SBeB
— UK R REPORT (@UKR_Report) April 17, 2024
The Hezbollah attack comes a day after the Israeli army's strikes in southern Lebanon, in which a Hezbollah field commander identified by the IDF as Ismail Yusaf Baz and two other members of the armed group were killed.
The IDF said 14 of its soldiers were wounded in Wednesday’s drone attack and six of them were in serious condition.
The victims were taken to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.
Meanwhile, four civilians were also injured in the attack. However, they were moderately or lightly hurt, according to hospital reports.
C’est sur ce centre communautaire d’Arab Al Aramshe (Nord d’Israël) que plusieurs missiles ou drones lancés par le Hezbollah ont été tirés cet après-midi. Au moins 18 blessés (dont 14 soldats). 1 personne en urgence absolue et 4 dans un état grave. pic.twitter.com/A3KoN8Ua9u
— Chrystopher Barolin (@ChrysBarolin) April 17, 2024
Later, the Israeli military said, in response, its fighter jets had struck “terrorist infrastructure” of Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon, reports Al Jazeera.
According to local media reports, the border village of Arab al-Aramshe has been largely evacuated, and soldiers are stationed there and may have used the building, which came under attack, as a gathering space.