Hezbollah attack with 'swarm of drones' kills 4 Israeli soldiers

Four Israeli soldiers were killed after Hezbollah fired a "swarm of drones" at a military base Sunday in one of the deadliest attacks by the Iran-backed militant group since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago.

Separately, the United Nations accused Israeli troops of forcing their way into a base used by its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon.

The Hezbollah drone attack injured 61 people, including three who were severely wounded, Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, said in a post on X.

Hezbollah said it struck a camp used by Israel's Golani Brigade in Binyamina, about 35 miles north of Tel Aviv, with a "swarm" of unmanned aircraft. The group said it used new drone models in the attack that managed to pierce the camp's defense systems while evading detection.

The region is on alert for a retaliation by Israel after Iran launched a missile attack on Tel Aviv earlier this month Iran in what it called a revenge attack for Israel's killing of several Hezbollah leaders including its top leader Hassan Nasrallah.

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For almost a year, the Iran-backed militant group has intensified its firing of rockets into northern Israel. Tensions on that border have increased since the attack by Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people. Israel responded with military strikes on Gaza that have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gazan Health Ministry.

U.S. officials are concerned that a ratcheting up of tensions between Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terror group, and Israel could lead to a broader regional conflict in the Middle East and have been trying to negotiate a cease-fire.

More: Middle East tensions flare: What to know about escalating Israel-Hezbollah fighting

UN says tanks came to its base

The same day, the U.N.'s Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said two Israeli tanks burst into a base of its peacekeeping force in Ramyeh, a village in southern Lebanon, at 4:30 a.m., destroying the main gate. The tanks left about 45 minutes later, but at around 6:40 a.m., peacekeepers sheltering at the base reported several rounds of gunfire fired from about 330 feet away, according to a statement from the U.N. force.

Smoke from the gunfire that drifted into the camp left 15 personnel suffering from medical effects like "skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions," it said.

Israeli soldiers also denied entry to a "critical UNIFIL logistical movement" near Meiss El Jabal, a village near Lebanon's southern border, the peacekeeping force said. "We have requested an explanation from the IDF from these shocking violations," it added.

Israel said the tanks were helping evacuate 25 Israeli soldiers wounded by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles near the UNIFIL base. Soldiers used a smoke screen to hide the operation so the injured could evacuate, Israel said.

"It is not storming a base. It is not trying to enter a base," Nadav Shoshani, the military's international spokesperson, told reporters. "It was a tank under heavy fire, mass casualty event, backing up to get out of harm's way."

The event is the latest in an escalating dispute between Israel's military and the U.N. The peacekeeping mission says Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon are endangering its forces in the area, a violation of international law. Multiple personnel were injured over the past few days in explosions, and one had surgery after members were hit with gunfire, UNIFIL said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah uses the peacekeeping force as a "human shield" and hides soldiers and weapons in its outposts. In a statement Sunday, he urged U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to "get the UNIFIL forces out of harm's way. It should be done right now, immediately."

Related: Netanyahu vows to continue Hezbollah attacks, rails against Israel's critics in UN speech

In a statement issued through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres called the tank incident "deeply troubling" and called on "all parties, including the IDF, to refrain from any and all actions that put our peacekeepers at risk."

"Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law," he said. "They may constitute a war crime."

More: Israel vows to hit back at Iran. Will it bomb Tehran's nuclear sites? Can it?

In a post Monday on X, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said that Israel is "not interested" in harming U.N. forces but that peacekeeping missions have "contributed nothing to maintaining stability and security in the region" and "serve as a shield for Hezbollah."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shared condolences with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about the IDF soldiers killed in the drone attack, according to Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. Austin also "reinforced the importance of Israel taking all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces," according to the Sunday readout.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 4 Israeli soldiers killed after Hezbollah fires 'swarm of drones'