Israel: around twenty people, including teenagers, injured after an explosion in the north of the country

Around 20 people, including teenagers, were injured Monday in an explosion near the border with Lebanon in northern Israel, rescuers and police said. According to police and Israeli media, a group of students and teachers from a religious high school who were hiking near Neot-Mordechai were caught in the explosion of an unexploded ordnance that was on their route.

Authorities reported a “serious incident,” and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu interrupted a media appearance to inquire about the latest developments, his office said. “Around twenty people were injured to varying degrees” during this explosion, police said in a statement. The first elements indicate that “the detonation was caused by an unexploded ordnance,” she added.

The Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's equivalent of the Red Cross, said its teams were treating "eight injured people in serious or moderate condition, as well as several others injured in light condition." “This is a complex incident” and they “will be transported to hospital as soon as possible,” he said. The army said it had deployed soldiers and helicopters to help with their evacuation.

The type of ammunition that exploded and its source were not immediately known. Northern Israel has been the scene in recent months of several rocket, missile and drone attacks from neighboring Lebanon, as part of clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, an Islamist movement supported by Iran. Sometimes fired projectiles do not explode on impact, which sometimes constitutes a danger years later when civilians handle them or approach them without knowing it.