For two weeks Israel has scored stunning successes against Hezbollah and made steady progress.
Last night its enemy struck back with remarkable accuracy and timing.
The soldiers had been sitting down for their evening meal when the drone struck. The videos they took in the aftermath show scenes of bloodshed and chaos as they race to help the injured.
There were so many hurt they were sent to eight hospitals. At least 60 soldiers injured, several seriously, and four killed.
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Somehow Hezbollah’s drone penetrated Israel’s defences without warning and hit the building when it would have been at its busiest. That will be deeply worrying for Israelis.
Either it was extraordinary luck, or Hezbollah knew when and where to hit to cause maximum damage.
Pic: AP
The first government minister to react to the attack, health minister Uriel Buso, spoke to Sky News at the hospital where most of the injured had been taken.
“Like all events we still study this event,” he said.
“But I don’t think there is a country that has a better defence against drones than Israel – still we get surprised sometimes and we’re not perfect.”
That is unlikely to reassure Israelis.
The news that the soldiers were not safe as they sat to eat many miles from the front will be deeply alarming in a country where most families send their children off to national service.
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Emergency services and police block the road to the scene of a drone strike by Hezbollah. Pic: AP
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Efrat Cohen is a health volunteer and mother. We spoke to her at the same hospital where she was bringing food and supplies for the injured soldiers and their families.
“First of all as a human being and as a mother, it was difficult for me to hear (about the attack) like (it was for) all the people in Israel.
“Even if I was not a mother, it’s difficult for us, especially for me because I have children of service age, it’s not simple, we feel very bad.”
The Israeli military launched its invasion of Lebanon in an effort to make the north of Israel safer. Instead their enemy has found a way of threatening and killing them even deeper into Israel.
This is a major security failure and a sign of the enemy raising its game. After a fortnight on the front foot, Israel is reeling from a surprise counterattack striking at the very heart of its military.