Four Soldiers Killed, Many More Wounded As IDF Base Hit By Hezbollah
October 14, 2024
10:05 AM
Reading time: 4 minutes
The Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah fired scores of rockets and two UAVs at Israel Sunday evening, most of which were intercepted or hit open areas. However, one suicide drone penetrated the defenses and hit the dining hall of an IDF training base near the city of Binyamina, killing four IDF soldiers and wounding 58 others, including several who were seriously hurt. The attack came even as reports emerged that Hezbollah has lost more than 65% of the ammunition it had at the start of this war and is running out of money as well.
The IDF released the names of the four soldiers who were killed in the attack on Monday morning. They are Sergeant Omri Tamari from Mazkeret Batya, Sergeant Yosef Hieb from Tuba-Zanghariya, Sergeant Yoav Agmon from Binyamina Giv'at Ada, and Sergeant Alon Amitay from Ramot Naftali.
All four of these soldiers were 19 years old. They were serving on the base as part of their training for roles in the IDF infantry battalions.
67 other soldiers were wounded in the attack, some seriously. The IDF reported that other soldiers were wounded in action in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as well.
The IDF was investigating how the drone managed to penetrate Israeli air defenses and why there was no alarm given so the soldiers could take cover before it hit their base.
What is known is that the drone was one of two which were launched from Lebanese territory and made their way out over the eastern Mediterranean Sea before approaching Israel's coast. One was shot down while the other managed to evade attempts to track and destroy it. The IDF also assessed Monday morning that the barrage of rockets which were fired at the same time were meant to cover the approach of these drones.
“We are at war, and an attack on a training base on the home front is difficult, and the results are painful," IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi said during a visit to the base Monday morning. "You operated well to treat and evacuate the wounded and injured. Embrace the bereaved families, accompany the wounded, and strengthen the commanders and soldiers."
"The Golani Brigade recorded many achievements in the war and dealt resolutely with difficult situations—continue on the path of this legacy."
The attack was one of a small number of successes Hezbollah has managed to rack up in this war amidst an endless list of failures and defeats.
On Friday, the US-government sponsored news portal Voice of America reported that Hezbollah is running out of money because the IDF has actively targetted the financial institutions in Lebanon where these funds were being kept. The principal banking institution targeted in this operation is the Al-Qard al-Hasan (AQAH) network.
According to the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center think tank, AQAH had “grown into a major institution with branches in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold of Dahiyeh and other Hezbollah-dominated parts of Lebanon.”
The IDF has launched airstrikes targeting the branches of this bank in Beirut and elsewhere, physically destroying Hezbollah's cash reserves and other hard assets.
“Hezbollah is facing a very serious financial problem. They are unable to pay rank-and-file members who have fled their homes and need to feed their families,” said Hilal Khashan, a Lebanese political science professor. However, he warned that this will not make Hezbollah any less dangerous in the near term.
“Keeping up the fight depends more on the availability of food and ammunition," he explained. "When your fight is motivated by religious zeal, you have more fundamental issues to worry about than the availability of cash.”
David Asher, a former US Treasury Department official, was also quoted in the report as saying that many of the wealthy individuals who helped Hezbollah launder their money have fled Lebanon, often taking large amounts of cash and other hard assets with them.
“These Lebanese bankers, most of them billionaires, see the wind is blowing against Hezbollah, so they are not going to let it take millions of dollars out of their banks,” he said.“I’m hearing from Lebanese bankers, including Hezbollah financiers, that Lebanon’s wealthiest bankers who can afford to fly have fled to Europe and the Gulf, fearing they could be targeted next by Israel for helping Hezbollah."
“I’ve heard from my Israeli counterparts that the Iranians are scared to send money to Lebanon right now because Israel is threatening to target flights into Beirut. The Israelis are warning they will target flights full of money, not just weapons."
Another source of income that's drying up for Hezbollah is its extensive worldwide network of narcotics production and distribution. Israel's incursion into southern Lebanon has disrupted this trade, especially in regard to the highly lucrative drug Captagon, sometimes called "poor man's cocaine."
Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states are a prime market for Hezbollah's Captagon production and trafficking operation, which is worth tens of millions of dollars a year.
Israel has identified the trad in Captagon and other illegal narcotics as a major source of income for Hezbollah and a strategic target in the war against it.