Israel blamed Hezbollah for launching a rocket attack that killed 12 people in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, reported Reuters.
Although the Lebanese militant group denied any responsibility for the strike, Israel has vowed to respond. The attack marks a major escalation in hostilities and raises fears of a fully-fledged war between the two adversaries.
Deadly Attack
Israeli authorities called the attack “the deadliest” on Israeli territories since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza. The strike targeted a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the occupied Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, in a move not recognized by most countries.
According to the Israeli ambulance service, the rocket attack killed 13 people, including children.
The Israeli military said that the rocket was launched from an area north of Chebaa village in southern Lebanon. Analysis revealed that the rocket was an Iranian-made “Falaq-1,” said the Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Vowing Revenge
Following the attack in Golan Heights, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that “Hezbollah will pay a heavy price, the kind it has thus far not paid.” Netanyahu, who was on a visit to the US, cut short his trip and will convene his security cabinet on Sunday afternoon to discuss Israel’s response.
Meanwhile, the far-right Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, called for retaliation against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. He wrote on X: “For the death of children, Nasrallah should pay with his head. All of Lebanon should pay.”
Similarly, Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, said: “There is no doubt that Hezbollah has crossed all the red lines here, and the response will reflect that. We are nearing the moment in which we face an all-out war,” reported the Associated Press (AP).
Hezbollah Denial
In a written statement, Hezbollah denied responsibility for the Golan attack. It said that the group “has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard.”
However, Hezbollah had earlier announced several rocket attacks against Israeli military posts, including firing a Falaq-1 missile, in response to a cross-border violence that killed three of the group’s fighters.
With regard to Israeli calls for retaliation against Hezbollah, Iran warned Israel against any “new adventure” in Lebanon, in a statement issued on Sunday by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani.
Calls for De-escalation
The latest escalation raised concerns that it could spark an all-out war in an already destabilized region. The US condemned the attack in Golan, reaffirming its unwavering support for Israel.
The spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement that the US “will continue to support efforts to end these terrible attacks along the Blue Line, which must be a top priority. Our support for Israel’s security is iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah.”
Similarly, Russia condemned the attack in the Golan Heights. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, said: “We condemn all terrorist actions undertaken by any entity.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese government condemned all attacks on civilians and urged “an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts” without mentioning Majdal Shams.
Moreover, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon and the head of UN peace-keeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have called for “maximum restraint” on the Lebanese-Israeli border, warning that the intensification of strikes “could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief.”
Israel-Hezbollah Tensions
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since October 8, following Hamas attack on Israel. This has intensified in recent weeks as both sides are striking deeper and farther away from the border.
The exchange of fire has forced tens of thousands of people in Israel and Lebanon to leave their homes. Since October, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed over 450 people, most of them Hezbollah fighters. Meanwhile, Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks have killed 44 Israelis, at least 21 one of them soldiers.
