Kerala Man Killed, Two Other Indians Injured In Northern Israel Missile Attack

An Indian national was killed and another two were injured when an anti-tank mission from Lebanon struck an orchard near Israel’s northern border community of Margaliot on Monday, officials said. All three victims hail from the southern state of Kerala.

The deceased, identified as Patnibin Maxwell, belonged to Kerala’s Kollam. His mortal remains were identified in Ziv hospital, official sources said.

A spokesperson for rescue services Magen David Adom (MDA) told news agency PTI that the missile hit a plantation in Margaliot — a moshav (collective agriculture community) — in northern Israel’s Galilee region around 11 am on Monday.

The other two Keralites, Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin, were injured and rushed to hospitals for treatment, they said. “George was taken to the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva after suffering injuries on face and body,” an official source was quoted as saying.

George underwent an operation and is currently under observation, the official said, adding that he is recovering well and could speak with his family.

Meanwhile, Melvin — hailing from Kerala’s Idukki district — was slightly injured and hospitalized at Ziv Hospital in northern Israel’s Safed city. Earlier, the rescue services had said that one foreign worker was killed and seven others were injured in the attack.

The Israeli Embassy in India reacted to the unfortunate incident and said, “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the death of one Indian national and the injury of two others due to a cowardly terror attack launched by Shia Terror organization Hezbollah, on peaceful agriculture workers who were cultivating an orchard at the northern village of Margaliot yesterday early afternoon.”

The statement also said that Israeli medical institutions are completely at the service of the injured who are being treated by their “very best medical staff”.

Extending their condolences to the bereaved families, it said that Israel stands united with the “hopes of a speedy recovery for the injured”.

It is believed that the attack was carried out by the Shi’ite Hezbollah faction in Lebanon, which has constantly been launching drones, rockets and missile attacks on northern Israel since October 8 as a show of support to Hamas. According to MDA, as many as seven foreign workers were injured in the attack, of which two were were seriously wounded. All of them were taken to Beilinson, Rambam, and Ziv hospitals in their ambulances and Israeli Air Force helicopters.

Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Monday said they responded to the attack by shelling the launch site with artillery. “A short time ago, fighter jets attacked a series of targets of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the areas of Bint Jabal, A-Saltaniya and Tzadikin in response to launches towards the Margaliot area this morning. Among the targets attacked: military buildings and a military headquarters used by the organization,” the Israeli Air Force said.

The IDF also noted that it struck a Hezbollah compound, where its members were gathered in the southern Lebanon town of Chihine, and another site belonging to Hezbollah in Ayta ash-Shab.

Hezbollah has been attacking northern Israeli communities and military posts since October 8, saying that it is to support to Gaza. Conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah have resulted in the death of seven civilians and 10 IDF soldiers on the Israeli side.

The terror outfit, on the other hand, named 229 members who were killed by Israel during the recent flare ups. Majority of the casualties on the Hezbollah side were in Lebanon, but also some in the region of Syria. Another 37 operatives from other groups, a Lebanese soldier, and at least 30 civilians have also been killed since October 8.

(With PTI inputs)