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Four Israeli soldiers were killed and about 60 injured on Sunday night after a Hizbollah attack drone slammed into a military base in the centre of the country.
Seven of the Israeli troops were seriously injured, according to the Israel Defense Forces, in one of the deadliest strikes by the Iran-backed militant movement since Israel escalated its air and ground offensive in Lebanon three weeks ago.
Meanwhile, early on Monday local health authorities in Gaza reported that at least 20 people were killed by an Israeli air strike near a hospital compound in the centre of the shattered enclave.
The Israeli military confirmed it had struck the Shuhada Al Aqsa hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah. It said the “former” hospital was now being used by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, as a “command and control centre”.
Hizbollah took credit for the drone attack near the town of Binyamina, saying it was in response to Israel’s escalating attacks on Lebanon and to show off its capabilities.
In the statement, it said it targeted the Israeli military’s Golani brigade, launching dozens of projectiles to test Israel’s air defences while the squadron of attack drones was also launched over the border.
One drone evaded Israeli air defences and struck a cafeteria on an army training base. Israeli media reported that many of the victims were Golani brigade cadets. Eyewitnesses said no warning sirens were activated before the strikes. The IDF said it was still investigating the incident.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant and expressed his condolences for the IDF soldiers’ deaths, the Pentagon said.
Earlier the US said it was sending an advanced antimissile system to Israel, a move that will boost Israel’s defences as Benjamin Netanyahu’s government plans retaliatory strikes against Iran. The ground-based Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles.
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