Northern Israel

“If Hezbollah joins Iran in an attack on Israel, it will be dealt a heavy blow and lose additional territory in southern Lebanon, in the areas of Nabatieh and Litani," said the defense minister.

Firefighters extricated a person who had been trapped inside the bus and was pronounced dead at the scene by Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel.

Wilensky was killed, and 24 others were wounded, when one of the students picked up an unexploded Hezbollah bomb and put it in his backpack.

The ministry says the approved hiking route avoided an area closed by KKL-JNF, as investigators examine the path taken before the deadly explosion.

The object was initially detected by surveillance personnel and Israel Air Force detection systems, which tracked its movement and directed troops on the ground as the incident unfolded.

Asaf Langleben urged the IDF to search hiking areas for unexploded ordnance following a deadly incident, but said local hikes would continue.

Northern District police officers and bomb disposal experts responded to the incident, which was declared a mass-casualty event by the IDF.

A series of incidents points to continued Iranian, Hezbollah activity in southern Syria, describing Friday's strike as the latest in a string of cases suggesting efforts to establish local networks.

The Northern District Commander ordered the establishment of a special Fire and Rescue Authority investigation team to examine the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of the fire.

The report follows an earlier hostile aircraft infiltration alert in the area of Arab al-Aramshe, triggered by a suspected drone launch from Lebanon.