On Saturday, a rocket attack on a football field in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, resulted in the deaths of 12 people, including children. The Israeli authorities have blamed Hezbollah for the attack, which is the deadliest in the region since the beginning of the Gaza conflict. Hezbollah, however, has denied any involvement.
The rocket strike has significantly heightened tensions in the region, which has been experiencing parallel hostilities related to the Gaza conflict. The Golan Heights, captured from Syria by Israel during the 1967 Middle East war and subsequently annexed, is not internationally recognized as part of Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed severe retaliation against Hezbollah, while the United States has condemned the attack, reaffirming its strong support for Israel and its commitment to countering Iranian-backed terrorist groups. The U.S. will continue to push for efforts to de-escalate the violence along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Russia has also condemned the attack, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denouncing all acts of terrorism. The Israeli military has identified the rocket used in the attack as an Iranian-made Falaq-1. Although Hezbollah had previously announced rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions, they have denied responsibility for the Golan Heights incident.
In response to the attack, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for harsh retaliation, including targeting Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The conflict has displaced tens of thousands in both Lebanon and Israel, with Israeli strikes in Lebanon causing significant casualties among Hezbollah fighters and civilians.
Following the attack, the Israeli military reported an increase in the death toll among civilians killed in Hezbollah attacks, which now stands at 23 since October, along with 17 soldiers. The UNIFIL peacekeeping force is working to understand the details of the attack and maintain calm.
Hezbollah is part of a network of Iran-backed groups that have engaged in the conflict in support of Hamas since October. Other groups, including Iraqi factions and Yemen’s Houthis, have also launched attacks on Israel. The violence has forced many people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to flee their homes.
