Hezbollah drone attack on Israel's Galilee wounds 19 people

Hezbollah’s drone and rocket attacks injured 19 Israelis on Tuesday, damaging northern Israel and triggering IDF counterstrikes and investigations.

View of a large fire in open areas near Kadita, in the Galilee area, northern Israel, on June 12, 2024 (photo credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)
View of a large fire in open areas near Kadita, in the Galilee area, northern Israel, on June 12, 2024
(photo credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

19 Israelis were wounded on Tuesday by Hezbollah’s drone attacks, according to the Galilee Medical Center in Safed.

Besides those attacks, Hezbollah also launched around 30 rockets into northern Israel, portions toward the Golan and portions toward the Galilee.

Although the IDF intercepted some drones and rockets. Other drones penetrated the IDF’s defense shield striking south of Nahariya and wounding many civilians, the IDF said.

One of the wounded was in serious condition, while the others were moderately or lightly wounded.

An initial investigation indicated that an interceptor missed the target and hit the ground, injuring several civilians, the IDF reported on Tuesday.

View of a large fire in open areas near Kadita, in the Galilee area, northern Israel, on June 12, 2024 (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)
View of a large fire in open areas near Kadita, in the Galilee area, northern Israel, on June 12, 2024 (credit: AYAL MARGOLIN/FLASH90)

Magen David Adom had earlier specified that a man in his 40s was wounded very seriously by shrapnel while driving a vehicle, which subsequently collided with a safety barrier. A woman in her 30s was also wounded by shrapnel and was in light-to-moderate condition.

IDF strikes back in Lebanon

MDA paramedics Roi Vishna and Noam Levi recounted what they saw upon arrival at the scene. "We saw the male unconscious in the car with a severe head injury from shrapnel. A female who was fully conscious with shrapnel injuries to her lower limbs was in a parking lot nearby. We treated the male, including ventilating him and providing medication, and evacuated him by MICU in very serious condition to the hospital. The female casualty was evacuated in mild to moderate condition."

Earlier on Tuesday, at 12:21 and 12:26 p.m., drone intrusion alerts sounded in Nahariya and Acre in Western Galilee.

Among other places, alerts also sounded in the localities of Kibbutz Lochamei HaGetaot, Evron, and Regba.

Footage saying it was showing a drone flying over northern Israel was shared across social media following the alerts.


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Hezbollah later claimed to have launched a squadron of suicide drones in northern Israel. A Hezbollah source told Reuters this was not the terror group's response to the IDF's elimination of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week.

Earlier on Tuesday, the IDF said the Israel Air Force (IAF) struck a structure that was utilized by Hezbollah terrorists in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon. The military also added that it had struck a structure in the Khiam area in southern Lebanon. 

Separately, the family of Bilha Yinon was notified by the IDF that she was killed on October 7, the military stated on Tuesday.

Yinon was the last person designated as “missing” on October 7 as opposed to being dead or a live hostage.

Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, the IDF and the Manpower Directorate conducted investigative efforts to determine Yinon's fate.

As part of this investigation, evidence was found in the area of Yinon's house that, after testing, enabled the verification of her identity. 

Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the air force eliminated Hamas terrorist Mohammed Mahasneh, among some 45 other terrorists, the IDF said on Tuesday.

Mahasneh reportedly oversaw smuggling operations of military equipment at sea as well as through tunnels and border crossings in Gaza.

Additionally, in central Gaza, IDF troops killed some 20 terrorists via air strikes and close-quarters combat, the military added.

In the Rafah area, Israeli forces eliminated some 25 terrorists, while the IAF struck terror targets.

While operating in the area of eastern Rafah, terrorists fired anti-tank missiles at IDF soldiers adjacent to the humanitarian route, the IDF stated on Tuesday.

As a result of the attack, multiple IDF soldiers were wounded at varying levels of severity. The soldiers were evacuated to a hospital to receive treatment.

The military said that as a result, movement along the humanitarian route was temporarily halted until the area reverted from an active combat zone to a secure zone.

The Kerem Shalom Crossing and other entry routes for humanitarian aid continued to operate as usual.