Lebanese drones cross longest distance yet, hit Herzliya in Tel Aviv

Israeli authorities confirmed that two drones launched from Lebanon penetrated Israeli airspace and struck a building in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, on Friday evening.

The strike resulted in damage to the building and caused a widespread power outage across the city, according to Israeli media reports. 

Sirens sounded throughout Herzliya, which is 100km south of Lebanon, as the drones breached Israeli air defenses, causing panic among settlers. Israeli media reported that the incident marked the longest distance a drone has traveled from Lebanon to occupied Palestinian territory to date.

Initially, Israeli media outlets appeared confused, with conflicting reports suggesting the drone might have originated from Iraq or Yemen. However, the Israeli occupation military eventually confirmed that the drones were launched from Lebanon.

In response to the incident, the spokesperson for the Herzliya municipality urged settlers to remain near shelters as a precaution. Meanwhile, the Israeli Fire and Rescue Authority reported multiple incidents at the Herzliya power station.

Explosions were also heard in parts of Tel Aviv, while Herzliya was plunged into total darkness following the drone strike. 

20 Israeli soldiers injured within 24 hours on border with Lebanon

Israeli media reported Thursday that 22 Israeli soldiers were injured in 24 hours, 20 of them on the Lebanese border and two in the Gaza Strip.

The Ziv Medical Center in occupied Safad confirmed that it had received seven injured soldiers from battles with Hezbollah at the northern border with Lebanon.

Israeli media mentioned that four injuries were reported following the shelling that targeted the Karmiel area in Central al-Jalil, while an Israeli helicopter was directly hit in the Mays al-Jabal area while attempting to evacuate injuries, forcing Israeli ambulances to flee the scene of the incident.

Early Thursday morning, the Israeli occupation military admitted to the killing of one of its soldiers and the injury of another in ongoing battles at the Lebanese border.

The military announced that the soldier was from the 228th Brigade and that another soldier from the 5030th Battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident and was transferred to the hospital.

This brings the Israeli military’s acknowledged death toll to 12 soldiers since the start of its announced ground incursion in southern Lebanon, although the Islamic Resistance’s Operations Room confirmed that the occupation forces have suffered at least 35 fatalities and 200 injuries, including elite officers and soldiers.