Israeli adviser Dmitri Gendelman called the attack a major escalatory move and vowed that it would be met with a stern response.
A rocket attack on a soccer ground in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday killed 11 people, mostly children, Israeli authorities said, blaming Hezbollah and vowing to respond against the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Hezbollah, which the United States designates as a terrorist organization, denied any responsibility for the strike, which was the deadliest in Israel or Israel-controlled territory since the start of the Gaza conflict, which sparked by the Hamas terror group’s deadly incursion that killed hundreds of Israelis.
Dmitri Gendelman, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wrote in a post on Telegram shortly before 7 p.m. local time that the rocket strike had killed nine and injured over 30.
“A rocket fired by Hezbollah hit children playing in a playground in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams. So far, nine Israeli children and teenagers have been killed and more than 30 injured,” Mr. Gendelman wrote in the
post.Later, the official Israeli government channel on X updated that the number of those killed to 11.
“Hezbollah murdered 11 Israeli children from northern Israel who were playing soccer. There are no words,” the
statement reads.
Mr. Gendelman called the attack a major escalatory move and vowed that it would be met with a stern response.
“This is a serious escalation, aggression by the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and Israel’s response will be very tough—we will take all necessary measures to restore security on the northern border,” he wrote.
Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire in areas at or near the Lebanese-Israeli border since the eruption of hostilities in Gaza. The conflict has stirred fears of an all-out war between the heavily armed adversaries.
Israeli Foreign Minister
Israel Katz
told Axios reporter Barak Ravid that the attack “crossed all red lines” and that “we are approaching the moment of an all-out war against Hezbollah and Lebanon.”
“We will pay prices, but at the end of the war Nasrallah and Hezbollah will be destroyed and the state of Lebanon will be severely damaged and we will restore peace and security to the residents of the north,” Mr. Katz added,
according to the reporter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “deeply shocked” by the incident and had asked to convey “heartfelt condolences on behalf of the entire people of Israel to the families of the victims and the entire Druze community,” Mr. Gendelman said in a follow-up
statement on his Telegram channel.
“The Prime Minister stressed that Israel will not leave this deadly attack unanswered and Hezbollah will pay the highest price for this, such as it has never paid,” he wrote.
Hezbollah issued a written statement denying any responsibility.
“The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard,” the group wrote, per Reuters.
Earlier, Hezbollah had announced several rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions in other locations from Lebanon.
The Israeli government said in a
statement that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) had confirmed the source of the rocket attack and lay the blame squarely on Hezbollah.
“From the analysis of the IDF’s operational systems, the rocket launch at the center of Majdal Shams was carried out from an area located north of the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon. According to reliable intelligence information in the possession of the IDF, Hezbollah is behind the attack,” the statement reads.
Mr. Netanyahu, who was due to head back from the United States to Israel overnight on Saturday, said he would bring his flight forward and convene his security cabinet upon arrival.
Hezbollah is the most powerful of a network of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East that have entered the fray in support of their Palestinian ally Hamas since October.
Iran-backed Iraqi groups and the Houthis of Yemen have both fired at Israel, while Hamas has also carried out rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon.
Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the UNIFIL peacekeeping force which operates in southern Lebanon, told Reuters that its force commander is in contact with authorities in both Lebanon and Israel “to understand the details of the Majdal Shams incident and to maintain calm.”
