Israel Targets Hezbollah in Lebanon Following Deadly Rocket Strike on Golan Heights Football Field

Israel has targeted Hezbollah sites in Lebanon following a rocket strike that killed 12 children and young adults playing football in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli air force attributes the attack to the Iran-backed militant group, which Hezbollah denies. Early Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted airstrikes on seven Hezbollah positions “deep inside Lebanese territory,” but casualty details remain unknown.

This incident heightens tensions, risking a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. Both have engaged in periodic skirmishes since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, sparking Israel’s military response in Gaza.

The deadly strike on Majdal Shams’ football field marks the most significant loss of life along Israel’s northern border since October. Post-Hamas attack, Hezbollah’s solidarity with Palestinians led to increased hostilities, including rocket fire at Israeli targets.

Israel’s foreign ministry identified 10 of the 12 children killed in Saturday’s strike, aged 10 to 16, with the 11th victim named but not aged, and the 12th unidentified. Verified footage shows crowds and stretchers rushing to ambulances at the scene.

Majdal Shams, one of four Druze towns in the Golan Heights, hosts about 25,000 members of this Arabic-speaking religious and ethnic group. Thousands gathered on Sunday for the victims’ funerals.

Hezbollah’s spokesman, Mohamad Afif, refuted involvement in the Golan Heights strike. Nonetheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged retaliation, asserting the group would “pay a heavy price.” The Israeli Air Force (IAF) claimed it targeted “terror assets” including weapon stores and militant infrastructure overnight. Prior to these reports, Hezbollah had admitted responsibility for four other attacks, one near Mount Hermon, close to the football pitch.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, visiting the airstrike site, accused Hezbollah of “lying and denying responsibility,” asserting the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1, “owned exclusively by Hezbollah.” He stated, “Our intelligence is clear. Hezbollah is responsible for the murder of innocent children.”

Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the Druze community leader, called the attack a “horrific massacre” crossing “every possible red line.” Iran, through spokesperson Nasser Kanani, warned Israel against further military “adventures” in Lebanon, citing potential “unforeseen consequences.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu, visiting the United States, returned early due to the strike. His plane landed in Israel on Sunday. International leaders condemned the attack, urging restraint but differing on the perpetrator. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “Every indication is that indeed the rocket was from Hezbollah,” supporting Israel’s self-defense while opposing broader conflict.

Lebanon’s government, in a rare statement, condemned violence against civilians, urging an immediate ceasefire. The statement called civilian targeting a “flagrant violation of international law.” Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib expressed doubt about Hezbollah’s involvement, suggesting the group usually targets military rather than civilian sites, but acknowledged potential errors from either side. “We are talking with Hezbollah because the victims are Druze, and the Druze community here [in Lebanon] cares about them a lot. We are asking Hezbollah not to retaliate at this present time,” Bouhabib added.

A United Nations statement emphasized the necessity for “maximum restraint” from all parties, warning that wider conflict could “engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief.”

In Majdal Shams, where bloodstains remained on the football pitch, locals conveyed sorrow and concern. Ugarit Abu Assad, 26, from nearby Buqata, expressed fears of escalation, saying, “I’m afraid of the consequences of all-out war,” fearing widespread casualties.

The Druze, a religious and ethnic minority, primarily reside in northern Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. In Israel, Druze citizens enjoy full rights, making up about 1.5% of the population. Those in the Golan Heights were offered Israeli citizenship after its annexation from Syria in 1981, though acceptance was not universal. Golan Druze can work and study in Israel, but only citizens can vote. Druze males, Israel’s largest non-Jewish IDF contingent, must serve in the military.

Most of the international community does not recognize Israel’s Golan Heights annexation.