The deadliest strike by Hezbollah since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago killed four soldiers and injured several others last night
The bloody drone attack on troops in a base north of Tel Aviv has raised serious questions about just how potent Hezbollah remains after weeks of devastating losses.
It’s leader Hassan Nasrallah and then his successor Hashem Safieddine were killed in similar huge bunker buster bomb blasts in southern Beirut days ago.
The Lebanese network – supported by Iran – has been crippled with intelligence penetrations by Israel who exploded walkie talkies and pagers, injuring thousands of Hezbollah soldiers.
But Sunday’s bloody strike on a training base in Binyamina, central Israel was 40 miles from Lebanon, is raising questions as to how the drone was not intercepted.
There are claims the flying bomb fired a missile at the base moments before it hit the complex Kamikaze-style but they are unconfirmed. If this is true it is possible the drone was Russian-made.
Hezbollah claims its drone was able to dodge Israeli defences after it sent a “squadron of drones” into Israel to confuse defences. Whatever happened, it struck a brutal blow to the Golani troops training for battle, one of the very brigades that have been deployed to Lebanon and previously in Gaza.
This attack has sparked concern here in Israel over Hezbollah’s apparent ability to overcome Israeli defences and the US may have to come to the rescue to help out.
All this happened hours after news broke that the US will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (Thaad) missile defence battery to Israel.
This device will require 100 US troops to deploy to Israel, despite warnings against American boots on the ground in Israel, escalating the crisis.
Now it may be that in Israel’s response to Iran’s October 1 200-strong missile barrage there will be an element of revenge for Hezbollah’s Sunday evening attack.
The Lebanese group has been hammering northern Israel for weeks now and more than 60,000 Israeli refugees have been unable to return to their homes in the north.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under immense pressure to beat Hezbollah and secure the northern border area as promised days ago.
And the clock is ticking on when Israel will hit Iran and if Tehran will respond, prompting all-out regional war.
