More than 60 wounded in Hezbollah drone attack on Israeli military site

According to Israeli emergency services and local media, a drone attack in northern Israel claimed the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah had used a “swarm” of drones to attack an Israeli military base, leaving at least 67 people dead.

At least four people were seriously hurt in the attack in the southern town of Binyamina on Sunday, according to Israeli Army Radio.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, no warning sirens were heard before the attack.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the Iran-aligned group said it launched a “swarm of drones” at a Golani Brigade camp.

One of the five infantry brigades of the regular Israeli army, the Golani Brigade is regarded as a top class unit.

Hezbollah claimed in a separate statement that it had missileed past the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights’ Tsnobar logistics base.

The United States announced that it would send a new air-defence system to Israel on the same day that Hezbollah launched a drone strike to boost its defense against missile attacks.

Following Iran’s unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1, US Defense Secretary Pat Ryder stated in a statement that US President Joe Biden had authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel.

Reporting from Amman, Jordan, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said that though the Israeli air defence system is very sophisticated and multi-layered, drones are hard to detect.

“Typically, the sirens sound as something is moving toward a location, telling people to seek shelter there.” That’s why those attacks have caused a sizable number of injuries over the past year,” she said.

“But the drones are harder to detect, and because they fly at lower altitudes, they are much more difficult to intercept. Many people would be in danger if they were intercepted, according to Odeh.

Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon is intensifying with Sunday’s attack.

Hezbollah and Israel’s conflict grew worse a year ago when the Lebanese organization launched rockets into northern Israel the day after Israel launched its assault on Gaza. In recent weeks, Israel has carried out airstrikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the south of the nation.

More than 2, 100 people in Lebanon have been killed since last October, the majority in the last few weeks since Israel intensified its attacks, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

According to Gideon Levy, an Israeli political analyst, the Hezbollah attack in Binyamina demonstrates how heavily Israelis pay for attacking Lebanon.

“Nothing less was expected. Lebanon’s war is just beginning, not yet over. And everyone who is so enthusiastic about this conflict should be aware that it will cost a lot, he told Al Jazeera.