2 IDF soldiers killed, 24 wounded in Iraq drone attack on Golan Heights base
Military probing why sirens did not sound for second explosive UAV launched by Iran-backed militia at northern Israel
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and 24 were wounded in a drone attack by an Iran-backed militia in Iraq early Thursday morning, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Friday.
The slain soldiers were named as:
- Sgt. Daniel Aviv Haim Sofer, 19, a signals officer cadet in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, from Ashkelon.
- Cpl. Tal Dror, 19, an IT specialist with the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, from Jerusalem.
According to an IDF probe, two explosive-laden drones were launched from Iraq in the attack, one of which was shot down by air defenses and the second impacted an army base in the northern Golan Heights several minutes later.
Sirens had sounded in several Golan communities when the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) entered Israeli airspace, but the probe found that there was an apparent failure to detect the second drone in time, and therefore alerts were not activated and the soldiers on the base did not have time to seek shelter.
The IDF was continuing to probe why sirens did not sound.
In addition to the two slain soldiers, another 24 were wounded in the attack, including two seriously, one moderately, and 21 lightly.
The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have launched drones at three targets in northern Israel.
It was the latest in a spate of near-daily UAV attacks in recent weeks claimed by the Iran-backed group, which came as fighting has sharply escalated between Israel and another Iranian proxy, Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group.
Thursday’s attack marked the first time that the Iraqi group caused serious casualties in Israel.
Separately, the IDF said Friday that overnight, a drone that entered Israeli airspace in the Beit She’an Valley was shot down by the Israeli Air Force.
The IDF said the drone had flown to Israel from “the east,” a term it has previously used to refer to attacks by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
#صورة آثار المسيرة التي أطلقت أمس من العراق وتم اعتراضها بنجاح في إسرائيل. نواصل اعتراض والتصدي للتهديدات المختلفة والمنطلقة من جبهات مختلفة pic.twitter.com/D0wFYnntZK
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 4, 2024
The same coalition of pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq has claimed to have launched numerous drones at Israel amid the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the fighting in the north, most of which failed to cross Israel’s border, were downed by air defenses, or hit open areas.
Last week, a drone launched from Iraq struck the Eilat port, causing damage and lightly wounding two people.
