One teen killed, others wounded, after explosion on Israeli school trip near Lebanon border

One teenager was killed and others were wounded, according to Israeli emergency response services, after an explosion on an Israeli school trip near the Lebanon border. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said an initial review by soldiers at the scene indicated that explosion was caused by an unexploded Hezbollah munition that had fallen in the area. Pictures released by the IDF showed a military helicopter evacuating patients for medical treatment. According to United Hatzalah, an Israeli emergency response service, three people sustained serious injuries in the explosion, while at least 10 others suffered light-to-moderate injuries. In a statement, the Ma’alot-Tarshiha municipality in northern Israel said students and staff were on the local school’s annual trip when the explosion happened. The country’s Ministry of Education said it was an “extremely difficult incident, and our thoughts are with the victims and their families.” Shortly after the explosion occurred on Monday afternoon, Israel Police said the initial suspicion was that the explosion was a result of an unexploded munition along the border near the villages of Yiftah and Manara. Bomb disposal experts were dispatched to examine the cause of the explosion, police said. MDA said it was a “complex incident” as they sent numerous teams to the site. “We quickly dispatched substantial forces to the scene, including ambulances, mobile intensive care units (MICUs), and an MDA helicopter, which was also scrambled to the incident,” said regional director Itzik Shushan. This story will be updated.