At least 12 people, including children, were killed on Saturday when multiple rockets struck a village in the Israel’s Golan Heights, Israeli officials reported. The attack has heightened fears of a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. Israel stated that “approximately 30 projectiles” had crossed from Lebanon into its territory in a barrage attributed to the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, marking the deadliest assault since October 7. Hezbollah has denied launching the rockets.
In response, Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah targets “deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon” overnight, the Israeli military confirmed on Sunday morning. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted weapons caches and “terrorist infrastructure.”
The attack on the Golan Heights village of Majdal Shams, home to a significant Druze community, threatens to further escalate tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hezbollah would “pay a heavy price” for the assault.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has been intensifying for nearly 10 months, with both sides exchanging fire across the demarcation line. Before the latest attack, regional leaders had warned that the situation was nearing a boiling point.
Among the 12 fatalities, at least 29 people were injured in the attack. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that one of the rockets struck a soccer field where children and teenagers were playing. He described the incident as “the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since October 7,” noting that the rocket was a “Falaq 1 Iranian rocket carrying a 50kg warhead,” a model exclusively used by Hezbollah.
Prime Minister Netanyahu announced he was cutting short his visit to the United States and would return to Israel immediately to convene a security cabinet meeting. Expressing his shock, Netanyahu said, “The State of Israel will not be silent about this. We will not put this off the agenda.”
Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant assured the Druze community’s spiritual leader that the military would respond forcefully. “We will hit the enemy hard,” Gallant said.
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