Tel Aviv [Israel], April 16 : Four Israeli soldiers were injured in a blast that occurred as troops operated several hundred metres inside Lebanese territory overnight, The Times of Israel reported, citing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday.
The Hezbollah terror group took responsibility for the explosion on the border.
The cause of the blast that wounded the soldiers in the western region of the border with Lebanon was under investigation by the military, which said in a statement that the explosion was of "unknown origin."
The military said the incident took place during "operational activity" carried out by troops of the Golani Brigade's reconnaissance unit and the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, on the Lebanese side of the border, several hundred metres from Israel's fence.
One soldier was seriously wounded, two were listed in moderate condition, and another was lightly hurt, according to the IDF. The troops were airlifted from Lebanese territory to a hospital in Israel.
Claiming the blast, Hezbollah said it placed several explosive devices adjacent to the border, inside Lebanese territory, in an area across from the northern Israeli community of Adamit.
Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Monday that Iran's missile and drone attack on the country a day earlier, which caused slight damage to an airbase, "will be met with a response," The Times of Israel reported.
The comments were made as he met soldiers at the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, where four Iranian ballistic missiles struck during the attack early Sunday. It came hours after the war cabinet met to decide on an Israeli response.
"Iran wanted to harm the strategic capabilities of the State of Israel--that is something that had not happened before. We were prepared for the 'Iron Shield' operation--preparation that brought Iran to also encounter aerial superiority," he said, referring to the effort to counter the Iran blitz by its military code name.