JERUSALEM,— A rocket attack on a football field in the Israel Golan Heights kills at least 12 teenagers, including children, on Saturday, according to Israeli authorities. They attributed the attack to Hezbollah and pledged to exact a severe toll on the Iran-backed Lebanese organization.
Hezbollah, however, denied any involvement in the incident, marking it as the deadliest strike in Israel or its annexed territories since the Gaza conflict began. This attack has significantly escalated tensions in the ongoing hostilities, which are running parallel to the Gaza war, raising concerns about a potential full-scale conflict between these heavily armed foes.
The rocket struck a football pitch in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Golan Heights, a region seized from Syria by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed—a move not recognized internationally.
“Hezbollah will pay a heavy price, a kind it has not yet experienced,” stated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call with the Druze community leader in Israel, according to a statement from his office.
Hezbollah, in a written statement, firmly denied any responsibility: “The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard.” Nonetheless, Hezbollah had previously claimed responsibility for several rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions.
The Israeli ambulance service reported that 13 additional individuals were injured by the rocket, which struck the soccer field teeming with children and teenagers. Witness Mourhaf Abu Saleh described the chaotic scene: “They were playing soccer, heard sirens, and ran to shelter…it may take them like 15 seconds to reach the shelter. But they couldn’t because the rocket hit the site between the ground and the shelter.” Reuters reported.
Social media footage captured the moment of impact. An air raid siren is followed by a massive explosion and plumes of smoke. Reuters confirmed the video’s location by matching the buildings and road layout with satellite imagery of the area.
Idan Avshalom, a medic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service, recounted the devastation: “There were casualties on the grass, and the scene was gruesome.”
Netanyahu, already scheduled to return from the United States to Israel overnight on Saturday, decided to expedite his departure and convene his security cabinet upon arrival.
The United States, spearheading diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the conflict along the Lebanese-Israeli border, condemned the attack as horrific, reaffirming its unwavering support for Israel’s security against all Iran-backed terrorist groups, including Hezbollah.
The White House National Security Council’s spokesperson emphasized that ending these terrible attacks along the Blue Line, the frontier between Lebanon and Israel, remains a top priority.
Moscow, with ties to key Middle Eastern players including Israel, Iran, the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, also condemned the Golan Heights attack. “We denounce all acts of terrorism, regardless of the perpetrator,” stated Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as reported by the TASS state news agency.
The Israeli military pinpointed the rocket launch site to an area located north of Chebaa village in southern Lebanon. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, revealed that forensics pointed to an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket. Hezbollah had earlier announced the launch of a Falaq-1 missile, targeting an Israeli military headquarters.
In a televised statement, Hagari noted no immediate change in Home Front Command instructions, suggesting the army did not anticipate imminent escalation across Israel.
Netanyahu’s far-right coalition ally, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, called for harsh retaliation against Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Smotrich posted on X, “Nasrallah should be held accountable for the death of children. Lebanon as a whole should face consequences.”
The conflict has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes in both Lebanon and Israel. Israeli strikes have resulted in the deaths of approximately 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and over 100 civilians, including medics, children, and journalists. Following Saturday’s attack, the Israeli military reported the civilian death toll from Hezbollah attacks had risen to 23 since October, alongside at least 17 soldiers.
Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the UNIFIL peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, told Reuters that its force commander was in contact with authorities in both Lebanon and Israel “to gather insights regarding the Majdal Shams incident and to ensure tranquility.” A senior diplomat specializing in Lebanon underscored the pressing necessity of averting a full-scale conflict.
Hezbollah, the most formidable among Iran-backed groups across the Middle East, has joined the fray to support their Palestinian ally, Hamas, since October. Iraqi groups and the Yemeni Houthis have also launched attacks against Israel, along with the Lebanese Sunni group Jama’a Islamiya.
The Golan Heights, occupied by Israel, is home to over 40,000 people, more than half of whom are Druze.
The Druze are an Arab minority group with a distinct religious tradition that originated from Islam.
The attack on the soccer field followed an Israeli strike in Lebanon that killed four militants on Saturday. Two Lebanese security sources indicated that the four fighters killed in the Israeli strike on Kfarkila in southern Lebanon were members of various armed groups, with at least one belonging to Hezbollah. The Israeli military stated that its aircraft had targeted a Hezbollah military structure after identifying a militant cell entering the building.
Following the incident, more than 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israel. Hezbollah took responsibility for at least four of these attacks, which included Katyusha rockets, as retaliation for the strikes in Kfarkila.
On Sunday, Israel’s security cabinet granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government the authority to determine the method and timing of a response to a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that claimed the lives of 12 teenagers and children.
(With files from Reuters)
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