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 fired 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 hit did not sufficiently protect those inside.

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

The community center was hit by an exploding drone.

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.

Responding to the Hezbollah attacks, the IAF struck Hezbollah in the Naqura and Yaareen areas as well as the sources of the attacks.

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 was 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, whose rank is equivalent to an Israeli brigade commander.

This brought the number of brigade-level Hezbollah commanders who Israel has killed since the start of the war to six, while the total number of brigade and medium level commanders killed by Israel is over 30, and the total number of Hezbollah and other terrorists killed is close to 350.

IDF strikes deep in Lebanon after drone attack

On Wednesday evening, the IDF struck a site used for Hezbollah's air defense array near Baalbek in the Beqaa Valley deep in Lebanon, the IDF said. The airstrike targeted a site near the town of Iaat, according to Lebanese reports. Later in the evening, another IDF strike was launched against a target near Kawkaba in southern Lebanon in order to "remove a threat."

At press time, the IDF had not responded to a query about the total number of Hezbollah brigade commanders.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, the IDF’s 401st Brigade, Nahal, the 215th Firepower Brigade, and other units under the command of the 162nd Division, in cooperation with IDF aircraft, killed Hamas terrorists and destroyed Hamas infrastructure in central Gaza, including an airstrike on a terrorist squad which was trying to attack the IDF with an armed drone.

In additional attacks, the air force and the 215th Firepower Brigade, targeted several missile sites. Over Tuesday night and Wednesday, members of the Nahal Brigade killed a drone operator and Nahal snipers killed another terrorist who was on his way to attack.

In the last 24 hours, the air force attacked more than 40 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including underground launch sites, booby-trapped buildings, military buildings, and observation posts.

There has been no fighting in southern Gaza since the IDF withdrew from there on April 7.

IDF sources said that two additional brigades which returned to Gaza recently might be used to relieve other forces which had not yet gotten a recent break from fighting there, or might be used for larger future attacks on Rafah or small central Gaza areas still controlled by Hamas.