Four Israeli troops injured in Hezbollah attack

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said on Monday it had detonated “explosive devices” targeting Israeli soldiers who the group said had crossed into Lebanese territory.

Israel’s Army said four soldiers were wounded overnight in an explosion “in the area of the northern border”. One of the soldiers was “severely injured” it said.

It was the first time Hezbollah claimed such an attack in six months of near daily crossborder clashes between the Iranbacked group and Israel since the Gaza war broke out.

Hezbollah fighters “planted explosive devices in the Tal Ismail area” inside Lebanon.

The violence flaring between Israel and Hezbollah has largely been contained to the border area. It has killed at least 364 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but also including at least 70 civilians.

Israel’s military chief said on Monday that Israel will respond to Iran’s weekend missile strike, but did not immediately elaborate on when and how.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that Israel is still considering its steps, but he said that the Iranian strike of missiles and attack drones “will be met with a response.” Mr. Halevi spoke during a visit to the Nevatim air base, which Israel says suffered light damage in the Iranian attack.

World leaders’ plea

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been huddling with top officials to discuss a possible response to Iran’s attack involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

World

leaders

have terceptions, Iran has called the attack a success.

‘Let Israelis speak’

In Washington, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declined to say whether the U.S. had been or expects to be briefed on any Israeli response plans. “We will let the Israelis speak to that,” he told reporters on Monday.

“We are not involved in their decisionmaking process about a potential response,” Mr. Kirby said.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s sixmonth war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating crossborder attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.