Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah surged on Sunday as a deadly drone attack by Hezbollah on an Israeli army base in central Israel left four soldiers dead and 58 others wounded. The strike, which targeted a base near Binyamina, south of Haifa, represents one of Hezbollah's most devastating assaults since the conflict between Israel and Lebanon escalated earlier this year.
Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Beirut that killed 22 people last Thursday. In a statement, Hezbollah detailed how it deployed a "swarm of drones" to overwhelm Israeli air defenses before striking the base, which houses the elite Golani Brigade.
The Israeli military confirmed the deaths of the four soldiers and acknowledged that 61 people had been injured, with several in critical condition. Emergency services were mobilized, and helicopters and ambulances transported the wounded to regional hospitals. The nature of the injuries varied, with many of the wounded caught off-guard while in the base's communal dining area.
This attack is part of an intensifying conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a proxy of Iran, which began after Hamas launched its surprise attack on Israel in October 2023. Since then, both Hezbollah and Israel have engaged in nearly daily exchanges of fire, with Hezbollah launching rockets and drones into Israeli territory, and Israel responding with airstrikes.
The ongoing violence in Lebanon has exacerbated fears of a broader conflict as Israel's ground operation in Lebanon aims to weaken Hezbollah's capabilities and push the group's forces away from the border. The military offensive, which began in early September, has resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 people in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Many of these casualties include Hezbollah fighters, as well as civilians caught in the crossfire.
Inside Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have continued, with a bombing on Sunday night killing at least 20 people, including children, at a school in Nuseirat. The school was being used as a shelter for Palestinians displaced by the ongoing conflict. Additionally, explosions were reported outside the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, killing three more people and injuring 50 others.
Amidst the military operations, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. The United Nations has reported that no food has entered northern Gaza since early October, and conditions for civilians are deteriorating rapidly. Bodies are reportedly lying uncollected in the streets, and medical facilities are overwhelmed.
Hezbollah's latest strike on Israeli soil comes as the United States announced it would provide Israel with additional air defense systems to help protect against missile and drone attacks. The new system, which will be operated by U.S. troops, is expected to bolster Israel's existing defenses, particularly in light of the increasing threat from Hezbollah and Iran-backed militants.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the strike by doubling down on his accusations that U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon are acting as a "human shield" for Hezbollah. Netanyahu urged the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to heed Israel's warnings and evacuate from combat zones. The UNIFIL mission has come under increasing scrutiny after several peacekeepers were wounded in Israeli attacks. Five peacekeepers have been injured in strikes that have largely been blamed on Israeli forces.
The United Nations has expressed concern over the escalating violence, with Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, calling the attacks on peacekeepers "deeply worrying" and warning that such actions may constitute a war crime. Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of operating in close proximity to UNIFIL forces, a claim that the Israeli military has yet to substantiate with clear evidence.
In the southern city of Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes on Sunday night destroyed a historic Ottoman-era market, killing one person and wounding four others. Rescue workers sifted through the debris of flattened buildings as Israeli drones continued to fly overhead. "Our livelihoods have all been leveled," said local shop owner Ahmad Fakih, whose store was among those destroyed.
