14 troops, 4 civilians wounded in Hezbollah drone attack on northern border town

One victim listed in critical condition, another four seriously hurt; footage shows projectile slamming into community center in Arab al-Aramshe

By Emanuel Fabian 17 April 2024, 2:56 pmUpdated at 6:20 pm Edit

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Video footage shows a Hezbollah drone as it impacted in the northern community of Arab al-Aramshe on April 17, 2024. (Social media/X; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Fourteen soldiers and four civilians were wounded as an explosive drone fired from Lebanon struck a community center in the northern border town of Arab al-Aramshe on Wednesday, medics and the military said.

The victims were taken to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, which said that one was listed in critical condition and four others were seriously wounded. The remaining victims were moderately and lightly hurt, the hospital added.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, 14 of the victims were soldiers, including the five listed in critical and serious condition. The four civilian victims were all lightly hurt.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a building being used by the Israeli military with guided missiles and explosive-laden drones.

Though the town has been largely evacuated, soldiers are stationed there and may have used the building as a gathering space.

A nearby vehicle was also hit in the attack.

The terror group said the attack was a response to the killing of three of its members, including two commanders, in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon a day earlier.

Warning sirens did not sound. The IDF was investigating why the alarms were not activated before the strike, and why the drone was not intercepted.

Footage posted to social media showed what appeared to be an explosive-laden drone crashing down on the community center.

Not long after the strike, alarms warning of incoming rockets sounded twice in Arab al-Aramshe.

Following the attack, the IDF said it targeted the launch sites.

Fighter jets also struck buildings used by the terror group and where Hezbollah operatives were gathered, along with other infrastructure, in southern Lebanon’s Ayta ash-Shab, Naqoura and Yarine, the military added.

Since October 8, Hezbollah has attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a daily basis with rockets, drones, anti-tank missiles and other means, saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.

Earlier Wednesday, Hezbollah fired several rockets from Lebanon at the Biranit army base. The IDF said no injuries were caused, and troops shelled the launch sites with artillery.

Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck several Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, the IDF said Wednesday morning.

The targets included military compounds and buildings used by Hezbollah in Khiam, Mansouri, Aalma ash-Shab and Yater, according to the military.

The exchange of fire Wednesday came a day after Hezbollah launched two explosive-laden drones at northern Israel, wounding three people.

Also on Tuesday, the IDF killed two top Hezbollah commanders and a third member of the terror group in airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

Israel has threatened to go to war to force Hezbollah away from the border if it does not retreat and continues to threaten northern communities, from where some 70,000 people were evacuated to avoid the fighting.

So far, the skirmishes on the border have resulted in eight civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 10 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.

Hezbollah has named 278 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon, but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 54 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 60 civilians have been killed.

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