Deadly Combined Attack Strikes Northern Israel; Hezbollah Claims Responsibility

A sophisticated and deadly coordinated terrorist attack struck Northern Israel on Monday morning, December 29, 2025, shattering the relative calm along the volatile Lebanese border. At approximately 8:30 AM local time, a barrage of weaponized drones and anti-tank guided missiles targeted a civilian vehicle intersection near Kiryat Shmona and an adjacent military outpost. Magen David Adom emergency services confirmed that four Israelis, including three civilians and one IDF soldier, were killed in the initial strikes, while at least 15 others were evacuated to Ziv Medical Center in Safed with injuries ranging from moderate to critical. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah immediately claimed responsibility for the operation through its media channels, stating the assault was a "direct response" to alleged Israeli intelligence operations in Beirut the previous week.

The attack triggered immediate and widespread air raid sirens throughout the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights, forcing tens of thousands of residents into bomb shelters as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a massive retaliatory campaign. IDF artillery units and fighter jets struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon, including launch infrastructure and command centers, leading to intense cross-border fire that continued into the afternoon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency security cabinet meeting, declaring that Israel is now at "a higher state of war readiness" and promising a disproportionate response to the aggression, while international diplomats scrambled to prevent the incident from spiraling into a full-scale regional conflict.