Middle East Correspondent
More than 60 people have been injured in a drone strike targeting the Binyamina region of northern Israel, medics have said.
In a statement, volunteer emergency response organisation United Hatzalah said the conditions of the wounded ranged from critical to mild. It said all had been taken to five regional hospitals, either by ambulance or helicopter.
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said targeted a training camp of the Israeli Defence Forces’ (IDF) Golani Brigade in the area, which is based between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
The armed group’s media office said the strike was in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut on Thursday.
The group said it targeted the camp in northern Israel using a “swarm of drones”.
Israeli censorship rules prevent media outlets saying exactly where or what was targeted, but some media outlets say the location was hit by a low-level drone launched from Lebanon – a relatively unsophisticated weapon that appears not to have activated early warning alarms.
And Israeli media reports that at least 67 people have been injured – with four in a critical condition and five others seriously wounded.
Many of the wounded have been evacuated to Hillel Yaffe Medical Centre in nearby Hadera – with others being taken to hospitals in Tel Hashomer, Haifa, Afula and Netanya.
Details are still scarce but many of the injured appear to have been in a communal canteen at the time and were caught completely by surprise. Images circulating on social media appear to show an empty mess hall with a hole in the roof.
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