BarcelonaIsrael‘s powerful air defense system was exposed this Sunday night, when a Hezbollah attack with several drones killed four soldiers and left dozens injured in Binyamina, in the north of the country. According to the latest official tally, in addition to the fatalities, the bombing has left at least 61 injured, according to the country’s emergency services. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reported that there are seven soldiers with serious injuries.
According to preliminary information, Hezbollah has launched at least three drones in the direction of northern Israel, of which anti-aircraft defenses have shot down two, while one has hit. Binyamina, a town with about 16,000 inhabitants, is located about 70 kilometers from the southern border of Lebanon, between Haifa and Tel-Aviv. According to local media, the military is investigating why the anti-aircraft sirens did not sound and how the anti-aircraft system failed to intercept the aircraft.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said was carried out with “crowds of drones”. The Lebanese militia has stated in a statement that the attack was directed against the Israeli Golani Brigade, which has a training camp in this town south of Haifa. It is one of five infantry brigades in Israel’s regular army and is considered one of the elite units, according to Al-Jazeera.
The pro-Iranian group has also given details about the operation and explained how it managed to bypass the shield that protects Israeli skies. It has stated that it has fired “dozens of missiles in the direction of various targets to occupy Israel’s air defense systems” and that, at the same time, “the Islamic Resistance air force has launched squadrons of several drones towards various areas in Acre and Haifa”. He added that the drones “were able to penetrate air defense radars without being detected and reached their target at the military training camp.” “They exploded in the rooms where there were dozens of Israeli officers and soldiers who were preparing to participate in the attack in Lebanon, including high-ranking officers,” Hezbollah said.
Several analysts have indicated that this attack demonstrates that, despite Israel’s intense attacks against Hezbollah’s leadership and infrastructure, the Lebanese militia remains active and maintains the ability to operate.
The US is strengthening the defense
The attack came shortly after the United States reported that it would send more weapons to help Israel’s defense, in anticipation that Iran could attack Israeli territory again. Specifically, they will send an anti-missile system and a hundred soldiers to operate it.
The spokesman for the Department of Defense, Pat Ryder, has detailed that it is a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) battery, designed to intercept ballistic missiles at high altitude, which will increase Israel’s already sophisticated multi-layer defense capability. “This action underscores the firm commitment of the United States to the defense of Israel and to defend Americans in Israel from any further ballistic missile attack by Iran,” he said in a statement. And he added that it is part of the “broad adjustments” that the US military has made in recent months in support of Israel’s defense.
This will be the third THAAD system to be deployed in the region. After the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, Joe Biden authorized the deployment of a THAAD battery, and the previous one was in 2019 for air defense training.
The decision to send a new battery comes after Iran’s unprecedented October 1 attack on Israeli territory with about 200 missiles. Since then, there has been speculation as to what Israel’s response will be. Some analysts point out that the US wants to strengthen Israeli defenses in anticipation of a counter-response from the Iranian regime to eventual Israeli retaliation. Just this Sunday, Iran’s foreign minister stressed that the country has no “red lines” when it comes to defending its people and their interests.
