14 IDF soldiers, 4 civilians wounded by Hezbollah drones, missiles

14 IDF soldiers were wounded on Wednesday by two Hezbollah drones and two anti-tank missiles at and around a community center in Arab al-Aramshe, a Bedouin village in the northern Galilee.

The village is less than three kilometers from the Lebanese village from which the anti-tank missiles and drones were launched, likely part of why most of the attacks got past Israel’s warning systems as well as its air defense systems, though the IDF was still probing the issue.

Also, the IDF is probing why the building materials for the structures which were hurt did not sufficiently protect those inside.

Regarding the 14 soldiers, six are seriously wounded, two moderately wounded, and six more lightly wounded.

The community center was hit by an exploding drone, while another drone did not explode, but still caused harm when it fell.

Reports indicate that four civilians were also wounded in multiple waves of attacks. In addition, a vehicle was hit by an anti-tank missile at the scene, and the wounded were brought to the Galilee Medical Center.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack on Wednesday, saying it launched missiles and drones on an Israeli military facility in Arab al-Aramshe in response to the Israeli killing of Hezbollah members and commanders in Lebanon.

Residents returned to the border community despite evacuation order 

The head of the Bedouin village, Adiv Zaev, said that the village was hit by three projectiles, two of which hit the community center, one directly.

Regarding the presence of residents at the border village, he said that after three months of evacuation, none of the residents were given any financial aid, and as a result, most returned to the village.

Tal Baskas, CEO of the Society for Community Centers, said, “Since the settlement was established, the community center has not been operating according to instructions.” He continued, “We have been providing full assistance to residents of communities that have been evacuated, and the activity continues wherever the residents live.”

The IDF said after the attack that it had targeted the sites where the drones and missiles were fired from, as well as a building in Ayta ash Shab where Hezbollah terrorists were spotted.

Overnight on Wednesday, two Hezbollah commanders were killed, among them the commander of the coastal region of the terrorist organization, Ismail Yusef Baz, who is equivalent to the rank of an Israeli brigade commander. 

This is a developing story.

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