A drone caused multiple injuries in northern Israel at around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. According to initial reports, Magen David Adom first responders call this a "mass-casualty incident," with several in serious condition. The drone apparently hit a two-story building where a large group had gathered.
Video: The drone incident in northern Israel / Usage under Israeli intellectual property law Section 27a
The assessment is that the UAV came from Lebanon. The Israeli Air Force is now trying to trace its route and understand why alerts were not activated.
Medical forces reported 40 casualties in the incident but later, this climbed to 67. IDF helicopters evacuated three of the injured to Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Center and two more to Rambam Medical Campus in critical and serious condition. Another 28 casualties were evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, including 17 in mild condition and 11 in moderate to serious condition. Three additional lightly wounded were evacuated to Ha'Emek Medical Center.
A nearby eyewitness recounted: "There was a crazy boom, a very loud boom. There was no siren beforehand, and only after we heard the boom did the siren sound. Afterwards, we saw many ambulances driving with sirens to the impact site. Based on the number of ambulances, we understood that there were many casualties, and at some point, we also saw and heard helicopters arriving."
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it sent a swarm of drones to the base. The Saudi channel Al-Arabiya reported on a Hezbollah UAV that attacked in the Binyamina area, with the same reports saying that the UAV fired a missile before exploding.
According to Magen David Adom, at least 39 casualties were reported, including 5 who sustained serious injuries. According to Channel 12 News, the incident was caused by two drones: one was successfully downed by Israeli air defenses, but the other hit a group of people who were in an area along the Wadi Ara highway, not far from Binyamina.
Eli Bin, the director General of Magen David Adom (MDA), reported that MDA forces wereparticipating in the incident in collaboration with the military, and they continue to search the area. "We are treating more than 20 casualties, including three in critical condition, five in serious condition, and 14 in moderate condition," Bin added.
The incident comes just days after two drones targeted central Israel, with one hitting a residential nursing home in Herzliyya just north of Tel Aviv and the other one intercepted over the sea.
Video: The injured being evacuated / Credit: Usage under Israeli intellectual property law section 27a
The spokesperson for Magen David Adom (MDA) issued the following statement: "At the moment, we cannot determine the cause of the injury. We are treating the injured, and 5 of them are classified as severely injured, 15 are classified as moderately injured. All of them are on their way to hospitals. We continue to search the area to ensure there are no more casualties. Many MDA forces have arrived at the scene to make sure there are no injured people in the field."
