1 dead, 19 injured in explosion in northern Israel near Lebanese frontier

Fragment of undetonated Hezbollah rocket suspected in deadly explosion in northern Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

One person was killed and 19 were injured Monday afternoon when an unexploded munition detonated near Kibbutz Yiftah in northern Israel, with several victims reportedly suffering serious injuries.

The explosion occurred in the Upper Galilee, near the Lebanese border, apparently striking a group of hikers visiting the area.

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, dispatched paramedics and ambulances to the scene, while helicopters were also mobilized to assist in the emergency response.

MDA Director-General Eli Bin confirmed that a group of hikers had been injured in the explosion, which occurred in the Ramim Ridge area near the border.

“In a report received at 2:53 p.m. by MDA’s 101 emergency dispatch center in the Jordan region, injuries were reported following an explosion in an open area of the Upper Galilee Regional Council,” MDA said in a statement.

“MDA emergency medical technicians and paramedics are providing medical treatment at the scene to casualties with varying degrees of injuries,” the organization added.

The victim killed in the explosion has been identified as a 15-year-old boy.

Seven of those injured are listed in serious or medium condition, while the 12 others are in light condition.

Of the 12 injured, 10 are teenage students.

Authorities say the hikers were visiting the area as part of a school trip from a yeshiva high school in Ma’alot.

A police spokesperson confirmed that investigators are probing the possibility that an unexploded munition was responsible for the explosion.

“Preliminary suspicions indicate that the explosion was caused by an unexploded munition, injuring approximately 20 people to varying degrees,” police said.

“Officers from the Kiryat Shmona police station in the Northern District are operating at the scene to secure and cordon off the area, alongside Israel Police bomb disposal experts who are investigating the circumstances and source of the explosion.”

Investigators suspect the munition behind the explosion may have been an undetonated fragment of a Grad rocket launched by Hezbollah at some earlier date, possibly a bomblet-style submunition.

The incident occurred amid continuing security tensions along Israel’s northern border, where Israeli forces have been operating against threats originating in Lebanon.

Earlier Monday, the Israeli military launched an interceptor toward a suspicious aerial target detected in an area of southern Lebanon where Israeli forces were operating. No public warning sirens were activated during that incident under the military’s established procedures.

Authorities had not immediately established any connection between the earlier aerial incident and the explosion near Yiftah.

Emergency crews continued treating the injured as additional details were awaited.