Rocket kills 12 youths in Golan; Israel promises retaliation

Israel vows retaliation after a rocket attack in Golan kills 12 youths, escalating tensions in the region.

On Sunday, Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defence Minister promised to respond aggressively to the recent rocket attack from Lebanon that resulted in 12 deaths of young individuals residing at Golan Heights – a territory annexed by Israel. The incident has sparked concerns about further escalation of conflict into Gaza.

Israel was cautioned by Iran that any further military actions in Lebanon may result in unpredictable outcomes. The assault drew condemnation and calls for peace from Western nations, such as France and Germany.

An independent investigation into the incident was demanded by the European Union.

The Israeli military labeled it as the most lethal assault on their civilians since the Gaza war was initiated by an attack of October 7 that also led to periodic cross-border conflicts along Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement was accused by Israel of launching a Falaq-1 Iranian rocket. However, the Iran-supported group has consistently aimed at Israeli military sites and denied any involvement in this episode.

One rocket was reportedly launched towards an Israeli military target in the Golan on Saturday, according to the source.

The Arabic-speaking Druze population of Majdal Shams witnessed rocket fire, which led to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cutting short his stay in the United States. Upon returning, he immediately headed into a security cabinet meeting as per his office’s statement.

“A price, heavier than ever before, will be paid by Hezbollah for the attack,” he said.

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According to the Israeli foreign ministry, Hezbollah has violated significant boundaries.

Emotional goodbye

On Sunday, the military of Israel stated that they had targeted Hezbollah locations “within Lebanese borders as well as in southern Lebanon”.

According to a Lebanese security source who spoke with AFP, Taraiyya village in eastern Lebanon was targeted by an Israeli drone that launched two missiles. The attack resulted in the destruction of both a hanger and a home but fortunately did not result in any casualties.

Hezbollah claims that their firing across the border is a form of assistance to Palestinian Hamas Islamists, who have been engaged in combat with Israel’s military forces since October 7th when they launched an attack on southern Israel.

An AFP count, based on official Israeli records, indicates that the attack resulted in the fatalities of 1,197 individuals mainly being civilians from Israel.

251 individuals were taken captive by militants, and 111 of them are presently being held in Gaza; thirty-nine among the captives have reportedly perished according to military reports.

At least 39,324 individuals have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s retaliatory military campaign, says the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled area. However, it is unclear how many among these casualties were civilians and militants.

A football field in Majdal Shams was hit by a rocket attack that claimed the lives of young individuals, as confirmed by local authorities who stated their ages to be between 10 and 16. The Israeli police revealed an ongoing search for the whereabouts of an eleven-year-old boy. A large number of residents belonging to a branch of Shiite Islam congregated on the town’s roads during sorrowful funeral rites held for several deceased victims.

“Massacre”

On Sunday morning, Gallant made a visit to the location where shrapnel had left marks on a building.

The Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis’ Director, Riad Kahwaji stated that the location Hezbollah claims to have aimed at is roughly 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) away from the town, making it possible for inaccuracies within their rockets to occur if they hit in close vicinity of this target zone as there exists a “margin of error”.

He suggested that an Israeli air defense missile misfiring could not be dismissed, and a third party probe should investigate the incident.

On Sunday, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State for the United States stated that there were signs indicating that Hezbollah was responsible for launching the rocket attack.

Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the European Union denounced the “bloodbath” and emphasized the imperative need for an autonomous international inquiry into this unacceptable occurrence.

A statement jointly issued by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the special coordinator for Lebanon, and Aroldo Lazaro, the chief of UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), called upon all parties to exercise “maximum restraint” at the prompting of United Nations.

According to them, if the exchanges of fire become more intense, it could lead to a disastrous situation beyond imagination and engulf the whole region in flames.

The attack was denounced by both the United States National Security Council and Germany, which urged for “calm minds,” according to their foreign ministry.

Following the Israeli strike that left four Hezbollah militants dead in southern Lebanon, a barrage of retaliatory rocket attacks was unleashed by the militant group on both northern Israel and Golan. This action followed after rocket fire targeted Majdal Shams area.

The government of Lebanon demanded the prompt cessation of hostilities on all fronts.

Efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.

However, the inflammatory remarks once again increased in intensity.

According to Nasser Kanani, spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, the Zionist regime’s uninformed actions could cause further propagation of instability, insecurity and warfare within the vicinity.

The deliberate targeting of civilians by Hezbollah in the incident at Majdal Shams was condemned as a “massacre” by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Since Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, a significant number of inhabitants living in the Druze town have declined to acknowledge Israeli citizenship.

Israel’s “false accusations” against Hezbollah were condemned by Syria, which claimed that Israel was seeking excuses to escalate its aggression.

At least 527 individuals have lost their lives in Lebanon’s violence since October, as per an AFP calculation. Although the majority of casualties comprised combatants, at minimum 104 innocent people were also among them.

As per the Israeli army report, Northern Israel has witnessed a total of 22 soldiers and 24 civilians losing their lives.

During a speech to the US Congress that was held on Wednesday, Netanyahu made it clear that Israel would take any necessary measures to ensure its northern border is secure.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, expressed that his movement would cease cross-border attacks if a ceasefire is inked in Gaza.

According to Blinken, the most effective method of averting an escalation in the Gaza conflict is by achieving the ceasefire that they are diligently working towards.

Despite months of efforts by US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators that have proved to be unsuccessful in securing a deal, discussions are scheduled to take place on Sunday in Rome according to state-linked media outlets from Egypt.

AFP