Overview of the situation - Rocket attack on Golan Heights evokes war danger
A deadly Rocket attack, attributed to Hezbollah, threatens Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia with the brink of an open war. UN representatives urged both parties to "utmost restraint."
At least 12 people, all children and adolescents aged between 10 and 20, were killed by Israeli military reports in the settlement of Majd al-Shams on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. A Hezbollah rocket struck there on a bustling soccer field on Saturday evening.
Israel's President Isaac Herzog was appalled. "The terrorists of Hezbollah brutally attacked and murdered children today, whose only crime was playing football," he wrote on X. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened retaliation. "Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for this, a price they have yet to pay," Netanyahu's office quoted him as saying.
The Prime Minister planned to call for a Security Cabinet meeting on Sunday after his return from the USA, according to reports. Netanyahu had given a speech before the Congress and met with US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President and presidential candidate Donald Trump in the USA. His departure from Washington was delayed by several hours.
In a statement, Hezbollah denied involvement. "We have nothing to do with this incident," it said, dismissing the accusations that Majd al-Shams had been attacked. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari called this a "lie." The intercepted rocket was an Iranian rocket of the Fateh-110 type, which only Hezbollah uses, forensic investigations showed. The Shiite militia is supported by Iran and shares its hostile stance towards Israel. "Hezbollah is behind this tragedy and must bear the consequences," Hagari said.
Military expert believes accidental fire
Israeli military expert Sarit Zehavi pointed out that the Shiite militia had previously claimed attacks on an Israeli military base on Mount Hermon. "It's very easy to miss the base on Mount Hermon with imprecise rockets like the Fateh," she said. Majd al-Shams is located directly beneath it.
However, the Shiite militia, according to its own statements, is preparing for a potentially heavy attack from Israel. "We have been on alert for months and are monitoring any enemy attack," the German Press Agency learned from sources in the Hisbollah. "This is nothing new, we are always on standby." Now, they are expecting a potentially "harsh attack," the sources said.
In the US government, the rocket attack fueled concerns that an open war between Israel and Hezbollah could break out, reported the well-connected Israeli journalist Barak Ravid in the US portal "Axios." "What happened today could be the trigger for what we have feared and have been trying to prevent for ten months," Ravid quoted a US government official. The US is Israel's most significant ally. American and French diplomats have been working for months to ease tensions between Israel and the Shiite militia.
The UN peacekeeping chief in Lebanon, Aroldo Lázaro, and the Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, urged the parties in a joint statement to exercise maximum restraint and put an end to the ongoing intense firefights. The fighting "could ignite a larger conflagration that would plunge the entire region into an unimaginable catastrophe," they warned.
The United States stand "firmly" and "unwaveringly" behind Israel
A White House spokesperson condemned the rocket attack against Ravid as "reprehensible." "Our support for Israel's security in the face of all Iran-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah, is firm and unwavering," the spokesperson told X, quoting Ravid. EU High Representative Josep Borrell expressed shock over the attack. "We urge all sides to utmost restraint and to prevent any further escalation," he stated on X. German Ambassador to Israel Steffen Seibert spoke of a "painful evening" and demanded: "These murderous attacks must cease."
The rocket attack hit an area where primarily Arabic-speaking Druze live. The religious community emerged from Shia Islam in the 11th century and is predominantly found in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. In each country, their followers value internal cohesion and loyalty to their respective state. In Israel, many Druze serve voluntarily in the army.
Since the start of the Gaza War in November 2020, the Hisbollah and Israel's army have been engaged in near-daily battles. At least 100 civilians have been killed on the Lebanese side, and approximately 360 Hisbollah fighters have been killed. Casualties were also reported on the Israeli side. Thousands of people were displaced on both sides of the border due to the fighting.
The rocket attack followed an Israeli attack on the village of Kfar Kila near the Lebanese-Israeli border, where, according to Hezbollah's statements, four of its members were killed. The Iran-backed militia claimed to be acting in solidarity with Hamas, which is also active in Lebanon.
Silence instead of slogans
The tragedy in Majd al-Shams overshadowed the weekly demonstrations demanding a deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas. In Jerusalem, around 1,000 people demonstrated on Saturday evening. This time, they refrained from chanting slogans and marched silently to Netanyahu's residence, according to the "Times of Israel."
Indirect talks on a ceasefire in the Gaza War and hostage release are expected to continue in Rome on Sunday. The hopes for progress in the talks, where the US, Qatar, and Egypt act as mediators, remain limited. Netanyahu recently formulated additional conditions for a deal that the Hamas might find unacceptable.
Trigger for the Gaza War was the unprecedented massacre with 1,200 deaths, which the Islamists of Hamas and other groups from the Gaza Strip committed against Israelis on October 7, 2020. According to Palestinian reports, at least 30 people were killed in a Israeli air raid on a school building in Deir al-Balah on Saturday. The Israeli military claimed to have targeted a Hamas command center.
- The rocket attack in Majd al-Shams has brought Israel and Hezbollah to the brink of an open conflict, as stated by UN representatives.
- The Israeli military reported that at least 12 children and adolescents were killed in Majd al-Shams, following a Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field.
- Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned Hezbollah for the attack, calling it a "brutal act of terror."
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened retaliation against Hezbollah, promising they would pay a "heavy price."
- Reports suggest that Netanyahu planned to call for a Security Cabinet meeting upon his return from the United States on Sunday.
- Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack and dismissed the accusations that Majd al-Shams had been targeted.
- Forensic investigations revealed that an Iranian Fateh-110 rocket was used in the attack, which only Hezbollah is known to use.
- Hezbollah's spokesperson claimed that the militia had been on alert and preparing for a potential attack from Israel.
- The rocket attack has heightened concerns in the US government that an open war between Israel and Hezbollah could break out.
- The United States stands "firmly and unwaveringly" behind Israel, as stated by a White House spokesperson.
- The religious community of Druze, primarily living in areas surrounding the attack, has been affected by the ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
