People living near an Israeli army base hit by a Hezbollah drone strike on Monday reported a loud explosion and then several ambulances arriving, as fresh rocket attacks and air raid sirens forced them to flee for shelters.
Four soldiers were killed by Hezbollah drones on Sunday night at a base in the Binyamina area – the deadliest attack on Israeli soil since the war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group escalated last month.
Emergency services, which helped transport the injured to hospital, said more than 60 people were injured.
“Last night was crazy,” Youssef, the manager of a local restaurant in the village of Kfar Kara, told AFP, declining to give his full name for security reasons. “There was a huge boom and then suddenly ambulances started passing by, first one, then two, then three and then more.
“There were a lot of police cars and paramedics there,” he said.
Youssef said that at first he thought the explosion was related to organized crime, which is prevalent in some Israeli Arab villages. But they soon realized that the blast was from a nearby military base, less than a kilometer (mile) from their restaurant.
“We have been open here for two years and we didn’t realize we were next to such an important base,” Youssef told AFP. “How did Hezbollah know he was here?”
“Now they know where that base is, what if next time they fire and are a little off target?”
The village is located near one of the base’s main roads and other witnesses said ambulances and private cars were seen carrying dozens of injured soldiers on Sunday night.
There were no sirens or advanced warnings about incoming drones, according to residents interviewed by AFP.
At Kibbutz Regavim, a few kilometers from the base, residents said they did not hear the explosion, but recognized from television images that it was nearby.
“The kibbutz’s security team was immediately alerted,” kibbutz resident Eyal Nabet told AFP.
“Sadly, later, we heard ambulances and helicopters approaching the base.”
Nebet said the kibbutz’s residents were shaken but that bomb shelters had recently been renovated and new concrete structures had been added in places, giving people “the feeling that they are safe and that someone is watching over us.” Used to be”.
The Israeli military has promised a full investigation into the incident.
“This was a difficult incident with painful consequences. We must investigate it, study the details and apply the lessons swiftly and professionally,” Defense Minister Yoav Galant said during a tour of the targeted base.
“We are focusing significant efforts in developing solutions to address the threat of UAV attacks.”
Following the attack, Hezbollah threatened to continue targeting Israel with more attacks if its offensive into Lebanon was not stopped.
The Iran-backed group “promises the enemy that what it saw today (Sunday) in southern Haifa will be compared to what awaits it if it decides to continue its aggression against our great and beloved people,” it said in a statement after the attack. There is nothing in me.” On the basis.
Hezbollah has been regularly firing rockets, drones and missiles at Israel for more than a year in support of Hamas militants in Gaza. But since September 23, as the Israel–Hezbollah war escalated, more incursions into Israel have begun.
Although Israel’s sophisticated air defenses intercepted most of the projectiles, few casualties occurred due to the barrage or subsequent falling debris.
But for those on the ground near the Binyamina base in northern Israel, the sense of helplessness is palpable.
“What can we do?” asked the owner of a kiosk at the entrance to Kfar Kara village, who declined to be named for security reasons.
“We are scared but we can’t do anything about it.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
