Israel Confirms 4 Soldiers Dead, 60 Injured, After Biggest Hezbollah Drone Attack Of War

On Sunday we detailed a rare Hezbollah strike on a key Israeli base which resulted in a mass casualty event. A drone swarm was sent on the Golani Brigade training base deep inside Israel at a moment that hundreds of IDF soldiers were in or near a mess hall that suffered direct impact by at least one or more sizeable drones.

The Golani Brigade training base lies about 20 miles south of Haifa. After a huge emergency response to the base as a result of the attack, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that four soldiers were killed, and 58 were injured. Other reports say that over 60 were injured, some seriously.

It marks the single largest and deadliest Hezbollah attack of the entire conflict which started more than a year ago. In the immediate aftermath there were widespread rumors that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi had been present and was wounded or killed, but Israeli sources quickly dismissed this as a false rumor.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the drone attack, saying it was in retaliation for major Israeli strikes which took place late last week. The IDF has been pounding Beirut, including in central locations in the capital.

Israeli media has since identified the four deceased, and highlighted ongoing controversy over the apparent failure of emergency warning sirens as well as air defensive measures:

The Israel Defense Forces announced the names of the four soldiers killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on a Golani training base near Binyamina in north-central Israel on Sunday night, while questions abounded as to why sirens failed to sound ahead of the strike.

The fallen soldiers were named as:

• Sgt. Omri Tamari, 19, from Mazkeret Batya.
• Sgt. Yosef Hieb, 19, from Tuba Zangariya.
• Sgt. Yoav Agmon, 19, from Binyamina-Giv’at Ada.
• Sgt. Alon Amitay, 19, from Ramot Naftali.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the base on Monday, telling service members and the nation, “This is a difficult event with painful results.”

“We must investigate it, study the details and assimilate the lessons in a quick and professional manner,” he added. There were reports that one or more of the drones were intercepted, but clearly some made it through Israel’s celebrated anti-air defense systems, resulting in horrific scenes of blood-stained floors all over the dining hall.

“Faced with the threat of UAVs, we are concentrating a national effort and are engaged in developing solutions that will help deal with the threat,” Gallant declared. The norther port city of Haifa has seen hundreds of Hezbollah drones and missiles sent against it in the past days and week. This has continued into Monday.

The major attack led to Gallant providing a Sunday night briefing and update on the matter to his US counterpart Lloyd Austin. The Israeli defense chief “highlighted the severity of the attack and the forceful response that would be taken against Hezbollah.”

Gallant had also thanked Austin for deciding to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery (THAAD) to Israel “in the coming days.” The NY Times and others have confirmed that American troops will be manning and operating the battery. The program could see some 100 US troops placed in harm’s way amid threats that Iran could send more ballistic missiles on Israel.

The Israeli Air Force has announced ongoing operations against Hezbollah in the south, saying it has struck 200 targets in the last 24 hours, and that dozens of Hezbollah militants have been killed.

Among the dead is Muhammad Kamel Naim, described as the head of the anti-tank missile unit of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, according to the IDF.

Israeli reports have said an Iranian-made kamikaze drone was used in Hezbollah’s Sunday night attack on the Israeli base south of Haifa. Some sources speculate it was a Mirsad-1, while others allege it was a Shahed, the drone series which has been used by Russia in Ukraine.

Yedioth Ahronoth: Preliminary Investigation Reveals Hezbollah Drone that Struck Golani Base Was a “Shahed 107.”

Fighter Jets and a Helicopter Were Pursuing the Hezbollah Drone Before It Suddenly Disappeared from Radars and Exploded Inside the Base. pic.twitter.com/HSeKtzCTei

— IntelSky (@Intel_Sky) October 13, 2024

Israel has also for the first time struck the north Lebanon region of Aitou, a Christian-majority area. This marks the northernmost attack in Lebanon by Israel since the start of hostilities in the wake of Oct.7, 2023. Israel says it was targeting a senior Hezbollah leader. Al Mayadeen says there were a number of people killed and wounded in the attack. Sky News has reported 18 Lebanese killed in the attack, without specifying who was a civilian or militant.