Four Israeli soldiers were killed and dozens were injured, seven seriously, when a “swarm” of Hezbollah emerged drones hit an army base near the northern Israeli city of Binyamina in one of the bloodiest attacks on the country since October 2023.

Hezbollah is an armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military said early October 14 that the attack took place on an army base about 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv. It did not immediately provide further details.

CNN had previously reported that United Hatzalah Rescue Service said it had “provided assistance to more than 60 injured people in various conditions – some in critical, serious, moderate and mild condition.”

At least 67 people were injured in the attack in Israel’s Haifa district, according to the national emergency service Magen David Adom (AFMDA).

Hezbollah – which the United States considers a terrorist group, although the EU has blacklisted only its armed wing – has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it launched a “swarm of attack drones” on a military training camp in Binyamina.

Iran-linked Hezbollah has fired hundreds of missiles and drones into Israel, but thanks to Israel’s advanced air defense systems, most have been shot down or caused little damage and few casualties.

Earlier in the day, angry UN peacekeepers said Israeli forces had smashed a gate at one of their bases in Lebanon, causing around 15 minor injuries.

“Around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in bomb shelters, two IDF Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate of the position and forcibly entered the position in the Ramia area,” the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said, adding that the Israeli forces left after about 45 minutes.

Israel later claimed that the tanks came under fire when they crashed into the base gate.

The action came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UN peacekeepers must withdraw from the combat zone in southern Lebanon “immediately”, addressing Secretary General Antonio Guterres directly.

“The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones,” Netanyahu said, accusing Guterres of turning UNIFIL soldiers into “human shields” and “hostages of Hezbollah.”

“Mr. Secretary General, ensure that UNIFIL forces are moved out of harm’s way. It must be done now and immediately,” he said.

UNIFIL is a 9,500-strong mission established in 1978 and charged with overseeing a ceasefire that ended a 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

Forty contributing countries to UNIFIL said in a joint statement on October 12 that they “strongly condemn” the recent attacks on peacekeepers. Leaders of the United States and Europe have demanded Israel stop firing on peacekeepers. US President Joe Biden said on October 12 that he was “absolutely, positively” telling Israel to stop.

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs suggested Israel could prepare to launch a direct attack on Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s massive rocket attack on Israel on October 1.

Biden said on October 13 that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of US efforts “to defend Israel.”

Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the system will help strengthen Israel’s air defenses after Iran’s missile attacks. The THAADs are similar to Patriot missile systems but can cover larger areas and require about 95 soldiers to operate, analysts say.

“It is part of broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months to support Israel’s defense and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iran-affiliated militias,” Ryder said.

The French presidency said on October 13 that President Emmanuel Macron told his Iranian counterpart Masud Pezeshkian in a phone call that it is Tehran’s “responsibility” to support efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East. The Iranian presidency also mentioned the call, saying the sides are discussing ways to end the conflict but also using heavily bellicose language toward Israel.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on October 13 that Tehran was prepared for a “war situation”, although he stated that his government wanted peace.

“We are fully prepared for a war situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not want war. We want peace and we will work for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon,” he said during a visit to the Gaza Strip. Iraqi capital Baghdad.

Israeli warplanes hit a 100-year-old mosque in a Lebanon village near the border early Oct. 13, a day after a marketplace in the southern city of Nabatiyeh was hit, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said.

Lebanon’s health ministry reported deadly attacks in other parts of the country, including an attack on a Shiite Muslim village in a predominantly Christian mountain area.

Hezbollah said it launched rockets at Israeli forces on Lebanese territory on October 13, while ground forces carried out raids in the south of the country.

A statement from Hezbollah claimed it had attacked a “gathering” of Israeli forces in the village of Maroun al-Ras “with artillery shells.”

Hezbollah fired hundreds of projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on October 12 as Israelis celebrated Yom Kippur, a major holiday in the Jewish religious calendar.

The escalation comes as Israel also carries out new attacks in Gaza and is expected to attack Iran in retaliation for a rocket attack earlier this month.

Palestinian medical officials said on October 13 that an Israeli attack in the central Gaza Strip killed a family of eight people and injured seven others.

The attack late Oct. 12 hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing a couple and their six children, who ranged in age from 8 to 23, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

Israel continues to attack what it says are militant targets in Gaza almost every day in its war with Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

The Israeli military said in a statement on October 13 that forces operating across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours had attacked about 40 targets and killed dozens of militants.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are allies of Iran. Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran’s Oct. 1 rocket attack, which Tehran says was launched in retaliation for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killing of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

Washington believes Israel has narrowed its targets in its potential military and energy infrastructure response, NBC reported on October 12, citing unnamed US officials.

There is no indication that Israel will target Iran’s nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, adding that Israel has not yet made final decisions on how and when to act.

Araghchi said there would be “no red line” for Iran in defending its citizens against the possible attacks.

“Although we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and our interests,” Araghchi wrote in an October 13 message on X.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP and AP