The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Friday that two Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 others wounded in a drone attack launched by an Iran-backed militia from Iraq. The attack occurred early Thursday at a military base in the northern Golan Heights.
The two soldiers killed were identified as Sgt. Daniel Aviv Haim Sofer, 19, from Ashkelon, and Cpl. Tal Dror, 19, from Jerusalem, both members of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion. Sofer was a signals officer cadet, while Dror served as an IT specialist.
According to the IDF’s initial investigation, two explosive-laden drones were launched. One was intercepted by Israel’s air defense system, but the second struck the base, causing the fatalities and injuries. Sirens had sounded in nearby Golan Heights communities when the first drone entered Israeli airspace. However, the probe found that a failure to detect the second drone prevented alerts from being activated at the base, leaving the soldiers no time to seek shelter.
The Iran-backed militia Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it had targeted three locations in northern Israel, including the Golan Heights and Tiberias. While the militia has frequently launched drones in recent weeks, Thursday’s attack marked the first time the group had inflicted serious casualties within Israel.
In a separate incident on Friday, the IDF confirmed it had shot down a drone that entered Israeli airspace over the Beit She’an Valley, believed to have originated from Iraq. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, part of a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups, has launched numerous drone attacks at Israel in recent weeks, most of which failed to reach their targets.
Last week, a drone launched from Iraq struck the Eilat port, causing minor damage and lightly wounding two people. The IDF continues to monitor the situation and assess potential threats from Iranian-backed militias across the region, as the broader conflict between Israel and Iranian proxies intensifies.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the recent attacks against Israel, calling them legitimate retaliation for what he described as Israel’s “astonishing crimes.”
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