By Daniel Estrin
TEL AVIV — Israel’s military said that four soldiers were killed and seven others were seriously injured in a drone attack by Hezbollah targeting an Israeli army base near the central city of Binyamina.
Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militant group backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack. Hezbollah said Sunday’s attack near Binyamina was retaliation for Israel’s strike on Beirut on Thursday that killed 22 people and injured more than 100.
Israel’s rescue services said the attack wounded 61 people in all, including several in critical condition. All of the injured were transferred to hospitals for treatment.
Israeli media said two drones were launched and that Israel’s anti-missile system intercepted one of them. It was not clear why the other one was not intercepted.
The U.S. said earlier on Sunday that it will send an air defense system known as a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to help Israel defend itself, along with the personnel needed to operate it, following an Iranian missile attack on the country almost two weeks ago. The Pentagon gave no details on when the system would arrive.
Hezbollah and Israel have been regularly exchanging fire across Lebanon’s border for over a year, but the conflict quickly escalated starting in September.
This article was originally published in npr.org