(Bloomberg) -- Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked a village in northern Israel with drones and anti-tank missiles, injuring 14 soldiers.

Israel’s army said six of those were severely wounded in the attack, after which it carried out retaliatory strikes on the source of fire. Israeli fighter jets also struck Hezbollah military compounds in southern Lebanon, where the group is based, the Israel Defense Forces said.

Wednesday’s clashes mark the most forceful strike by Hezbollah since Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones on Israel last week. Tensions near Israel’s northern border have remained high for months, with the military regularly exchanging fire with Hezbollah. 

Israel Attacked by Iran as Mideast Enters Perilous New Phase

The fighting raises the risk of a full-blown conflict in the north, at a time when Israel is focused on destroying the leadership of Hamas in Gaza to the south. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are designated terrorist groups by the US.

The latest attack took place at a community center in Arab al-Aramshe in Western Galilee, Israel’s Channel 12 said. Hezbollah targeted what it said was an Israeli reconnaissance site, according to a report by the group’s Al-Manar TV. 

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Hezbollah is the most powerful militia in the Middle East and thought by Israeli intelligence to have more than 100,000 rockets and missiles. That’s a much bigger arsenal than what Hamas is believed to have had before Oct. 7, when its fighters swarmed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250.

(Updates with details on casualty figures from the first paragraph.)

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