An Israel Defense Forces soldier was seriously wounded on Sunday afternoon when the Hezbollah terror group launched a salvo of suicide drones at Israeli territory.
Several hits were reported in the attack on the Galilee, which set off air-raid sirens in communities along the Lebanese border.
The wounded soldier was evacuated to Ziv Medical Center in Safed and his family was informed, the IDF said.
“Around 1 p.m., a soldier was brought to the Ziv emergency room who was seriously wounded by shrapnel in his shoulder, as a result of the barrage near [Kibbutz] Ayelet HaShahar,” Ziv Medical Center announced.
“The soldier is conscious and in stable condition, and after a series of tests, he was brought to vascular surgery by Dr. Victor Assaf (director of the Vascular Department), as well as orthopedic surgery by Prof. Alex Lerner, director of the Department of Orthopedics,” added the hospital.
Hezbollah suicide drone attacks northern Israel.
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) June 23, 2024
There are nonstop rocket sirens in northern Israel. pic.twitter.com/KFmwEDfU2R
According to the IDF, at least one drone was shot down, while several more hit open areas, sparking fires.
Firefighting teams were dispatched to Moshav Dishon, a forest near Kibbutz Misgav Am and the area around Ayelet HaShahar.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed that one of the drones was intercepted near the central Galilee city of Karmiel, close to a sensitive missile plant operated by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Breaking: The IDF shot down a Hezbollah drone near a major defense factory in Lower Galilee.
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 23, 2024
Sirens went off in surrounding towns over falling shrapnel, but no injuries were reported.
Reminder that Israelis have faced attacks from Hezbollah nearly every day since October 7. pic.twitter.com/3tjXDjSvUR
The Galilee-based Alma Research and Education Center announced on Sunday afternoon that Iran-backed Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for at least 18 drone, rocket and missile attacks since Thursday afternoon.
Hezbollah has attacked northern Israel nearly every day since joining the war in support of Gaza-based Hamas on Oct. 8, killing more than 20 people and causing widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians remain internally displaced due to the ongoing violence.
Since Oct. 8, Hezbollah has fired more than 5,000 rockets, anti-tank missiles and suicide drones at Israeli border communities.
Overnight Saturday, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, in a video, said, “In case an inclusive war is imposed on Lebanon, the resistance will fight without restraints, without rules, without limits.”
Also over the weekend, an Israeli Air Force strike deep inside Lebanon killed a terrorist responsible for supplying weapons to Hamas and Jamaa Islamiya operatives in the country. According to the IDF, Ayman Ratma was a “central terrorist operative” in Lebanon.
