A rocket attack on a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 people, including children, on Saturday. Israeli authorities have blamed Hezbollah for the attack and have vowed to impose severe consequences on the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the strike, which is the deadliest incident in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the onset of the Gaza conflict.
The rocket struck a football pitch in the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, a territory captured from Syria by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move not recognized by most countries.
“Hezbollah will pay a heavy price, the kind it has thus far not paid,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a phone call with the leader of the Druze community in Israel, according to his office.
In a written statement, Hezbollah asserted, “The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard.”
Earlier, Hezbollah had announced several rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions.
The Israeli ambulance service reported that 13 more people were injured by the rocket, which struck the soccer pitch filled with children and teenagers at the time. Witness Mourhaf Abu Saleh recounted, “They were playing soccer, they heard sirens, they ran to shelter… but they couldn’t reach the shelter because the rocket hit the site between the ground and the shelter.”
Footage posted on social media captured the moment of the rocket’s impact. An air raid siren is heard, followed by a large explosion and images of rising smoke. Reuters verified the location with satellite imagery.
Idan Avshalom, a medic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service, described the scene as one of great destruction. “There were casualties on the grass, and the scene was gruesome,” he said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, already scheduled to return from the United States to Israel, announced he would expedite his flight and convene his security cabinet upon arrival.
The United States, leading diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict along the Lebanese-Israeli border, condemned the attack as horrific and reaffirmed its unwavering support for Israel’s security against all Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hezbollah.
The U.S. National Security Council spokesperson emphasized, “We will continue to support efforts to end these terrible attacks along the Blue Line, which must be a top priority.” The Blue Line refers to the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.
Moscow, with ties to key Middle Eastern players including Israel, Iran, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, also condemned the attacks in the Golan Heights. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated, “We condemn all terrorist actions undertaken by any entity,” according to the Russian TASS state news agency.
