NEW DELHI: Four Israeli soldiers were killed by a Hezbollah drone strike Sunday on a military base south of Haifa, amid an escalating conflict with the Iran-backed group in Lebanon. “Yesterday, a UAV launched by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation hit an army base adjacent to Binyamina,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

“Four IDF (army) soldiers were killed in the incident and an additional seven were severely injured.” The Lebanese militant group, which is at war with Israel, earlier on Sunday said it had launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on the country.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the drone that Hezbollah used for the strike near Binyamina is believed to be the Mirsad-1, a UAV that the Iran-backed group has deployed for over two decades. According to the Alma Research Center, the Mirsad-1 can carry up to 40 kilograms of explosives, has a top speed of 370 kilometers per hour, and boasts an operational range of 120 kilometers.

The Iran-backed group has used the drone for surveillance and offensive strikes since 2002, the report said. Hezbollah launched multiple drones, based on Iran’s Mohajer-2 model, under the cover of a rocket barrage, to overwhelm Israeli defense systems. The newspaper said that one drone managed to evade detection and crash in the Binyamina area, marking a notable breach in Israeli air defences.
‘Diplomatic pathway’

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Sunday to the Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Oct. 13 to express his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed in a drone attack. During the call, Austin also raised the issue of the safety of the UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon.
“I also reiterated the importance of ensuring the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces and reinforced the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible,” Austin said in a post on X. The incident comes two days after air raid sirens sounded in central Israel after two aerial drones entered the country from Lebanon. At least one building north of Tel Aviv was damaged during the incident.