Mar 5: Patnibin Maxwell from Kollam in Kerala was killed and two others, Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin, were injured in Israel.
Israel said it was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the death of an Indian national and the injury of two others in a missile attack by Hezbollah at the northern village of Margaliot on Monday. All three victims hail from the southern state of Kerala.
Patnibin Maxwell from Kollam in Kerala was killed and two others, Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin, were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment.
An anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon struck an orchard near Israel's northern border community of Margaliot.
“Our prayers and thoughts naturally go to the families of the bereaved and those of the injured. Israeli Medical institutions are completely at the service of the injured who are being treated by our very best medical staff. Israel regards equally all nationals, Israeli or foreign, who are injured or killed due to terrorism. We will be there to support the families and offer them assistance,” the Israel embassy wrote on Twitter (now X).
“Our countries, who are sadly well versed in civilian loss, stand united in hopes of a speedy recovery for the injured and solace for the family of the bereaved,” it added.
Who are the Indians?
Patnibin Maxwell from Kollam in Kerala was killed in the missile attack. His mortal remains were identified in Ziv hospital, sources quoted official sources saying.
Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin were injured and taken to hospitals for treatment, they said. “George was taken to the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva after suffering injuries on face and body. He underwent an operation, is recovering well, and has been kept under observation. He could speak with his family in India,” an official source.
Melvin was also hospitalised at Ziv Hospital in the northern Israeli city of Safed with slight injuries. He is from the Idukki district of Kerala.
Earlier, MDA had said that one foreign worker was killed and seven others were injured in the attack.
Who fired the missile?
Sources reported that the attack is believed to have been carried out by the Shia Hezbollah faction in Lebanon, which has been launching rockets, missiles, and drones at northern Israel daily since October 8 in support of Hamas amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
MDA said seven foreign workers were injured altogether in the attack, two of them seriously, and were taken to Beilinson, Rambam, and Ziv hospitals in their ambulances and Israeli Air Force helicopters.
Israel forces respond
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), meanwhile, on Monday said it responded by shelling the launch site with artillery.
The IDF also said it struck a Hezbollah compound where members of the group were gathered in the southern Lebanon town of Chihine, and another site belonging to Hezbollah in Ayta ash-Shab.
Hezbollah has been launching attacks on Israel's northern communities and military posts since October 8 saying it is doing so to support Gaza.
