Hezbollah Detonates Bomb After IDF Troops Caught Breaching Lebanese Border, Wounding 4

Four Israeli soldiers were wounded Monday after a bomb was detonated inside Lebanese territory, in a rare moment where it appears the IDF was seeking to breach the border.

Hezbollah took responsibility for the explosion, saying it planted the bomb near the border. Hezbollah militants "planted explosive devices in the Tal Ismail area" inside Lebanon, and detonated them after Israeli soldiers "crossed the border," according to a statement from the group.

The IDF subsequently acknowledged the four soldiers were injured, and it was reported by news wires as happening "hundreds of meters within Lebanon."

One of the soldiers has been listed by the IDF as "severely injured" after the explosion was set off "in the area of the northern border" - according to the military statement.

Israeli army radio admitted that "Golani fighters carried out an operation near the border, tens of hundreds of meters away from Israeli territory," and that the troops were injured "inside Lebanese territory."

The full Hezbollah statement reads that "In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and after careful monitoring and anticipation of the movements of the enemy forces, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance planted a number of explosive devices in the Tal Ismail area adjacent to the border with occupied Palestine inside Lebanese territory."

"When a force belonging to the Golani Brigade crossed the border and reached the location, the explosives were detonated, causing their members to be killed or wounded." 

Al Jazeera has noted that such a scenario as this - involving a ground bomb detonated and wounding troops who had breached the border - has never happened throughout the six months of cross border conflict in the wake of Oct.7.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has also 'congratulated' Iran following the Saturday overnight massive missile and drone attack on Israel:

"Hezbollah extends its blessings and congratulations to the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its people for the effective and unprecedented attack targeting the unjust aggressor … [We praise] the brave and wise decision to respond firmly to the Zionist aggression against the Iranian consulate in Damascus," the Lebanese paramilitary group said.

Shortly before the attack Hezbollah fired dozens of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, in what could have been an effort to distract and overwhelm Israel's northern defenses ahead of the Iranian assault.

Hezbollah has been taking aim at Israeli communications and intelligence bases and infrastructure near the border, but things have yet to spiral into all-out war in southern Lebanon. However, if Israeli troops continue breaching the Lebanese border, it could slide into a rare ground war.