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Jerusalem: Four Israelis sailors are lost at sea following an attack on a naval ship off the coast of Lebanon, said the Israeli army on Saturday. The attack is thought to have been carried out by the Hezbollah militant group who abducted two Israeli soldiers earlier in the week. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed it attacked the warship. Israeli Military officials said the ship caught fire after being hit by either a rocket or an unmanned drone rigged with explosives. The heavily damaged Israeli warship was towed back to the Israeli port of Haifa early Saturday. A merchant ship carrying civilians was also hit in the raid. The boat thought to be carrying mostly Egyptians was evacuated following the blast.
The military confirmed a search is underway for the four missing sailors.
The attack follows Israel's strikes against Lebanon, which has been the worst offensive against the country in 24 years. At least 73 Lebanese have died, most of them civilians. Eight Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed in the fighting, and the loss of the sailors threatened to drive the death toll higher.
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