![An ambulance arrives at the site of a drone strike near the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, on October 13, 2024, amid the continuing war between Israel and Hezbollah. [OREN ZIV/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GettyImages-2177535309.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The Israeli army announced yesterday evening that four soldiers were killed and seven others were injured following a Hezbollah air strike on a military base south of Haifa, northern Israel.
In a video statement, military spokesperson Daniel Hagari provided the first official comment on the attack, which Israeli media reported had caused 67 injuries.
Hagari said a Hezbollah drone struck “a military base near Binyamina [south of Haifa], and all casualties were transported to hospitals, and their families have been notified.”
“Four Israeli soldiers were killed, and seven others were seriously wounded,” he confirmed.
4 Israeli soldiers killed in drone strike on military base south of Haifa on Sunday 13 October 2024
Earlier yesterday, Hezbollah announced it had attacked an Israeli army camp near Haifa using drones.
Israeli Army Radio reported that the military had opened an investigation into why the warning sirens were not activated when the drone entered northern Israel.
The Israeli defence system failed to detect the drone, and there was no attempt to intercept it, according to the radio.
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Israel’s official broadcaster, Kan, reported that Air Force Commander Gen. Tomer Bar was personally overseeing the military investigation.
Israel Hayom said explosions were heard by residents of Haifa and nearby settlements, such as Kiryat, without warning sirens being activated.
The paper also reported that two drones penetrated the northern region from the Mediterranean Sea. One was intercepted near Nahariya, while the Israeli Air Force lost track of the other, leading to the failure of the sirens.
In a later statement, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a drone in the northern maritime area launched from Lebanon, without providing further details.
Israeli media refuted claims that Hezbollah had eliminated Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in the drone attacks on the Golani Brigade near Haifa.
Israeli fighter jets struck 70 Hezbollah targets, including military buildings and rocket launch sites yesterday, according to the military statement.
Israel has mounted its biggest military campaign against Lebanon in almost 20 years, displacing 1.2 million residents from the south of the country and killing Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.