Netanyahu vows retaliation against Hezbollah after Golan Heights attack

Majdal ShamsIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed strong retaliation against Hezbollah on Monday amid heightened diplomatic efforts to prevent a spiral into regional war following a weekend rocket attack that killed 12 children in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

Israel blamed the Lebanese armed group for the rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday evening that hit a soccer field where several children were playing in the predominantly Druze town of Majdal Shams. In an unusual move, Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday, stressing the “importance of avoiding escalation” and discussing efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the months-long standoff.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily across the border. Each side appears determined to avoid an escalation that would bring all its firepower against the other. But the exchanges have escalated, and the latest attack threatens to provoke retaliation and counter-retaliation that could trigger an all-out war.

Israeli strikes hit a motorcycle in Lebanon near the border early Monday, killing two people and wounding three others, Lebanese state media reported. The strikes, which reflect the daily pace of cross-border fire, do not appear to be Israeli retaliation for Saturday’s attack.

Thousands of mourners buried the 12th victim of the attack on Monday. The body of 11-year-old Guevara Ibrahim was carried through the streets of Majdal Shams in a procession of mourners dressed in black.

Netanyahu spoke during a visit to the Majdal Shams football field and met with leaders of the Druze community.

“These children are our children, they are the children of all of us,” he said, as authorities laid a wreath on the field. “The State of Israel cannot and must not ignore this. Our response will come, and it will be severe,” adding that the rocket was fired by Hezbollah.

Nearby, about 300 friends, supporters and relatives of the slain children protested Netanyahu’s visit, shouting that he was exploiting the bloodshed for political gain and calling for an end to the violence. Some carried pictures of the children and said they did not want any more deaths.

Netanyahu booed during visit to Majdal Shams

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was booed on Monday during his visit to the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights, where an attack took place over the weekend that left 12 children and teenagers dead.

The president, who said from there that the response to the attack would be “harsh,” again pointed to the Lebanese Shiite party-militia Hezbollah as being responsible for what happened, even though the group has denied any involvement in the attack.

“Hezbollah, with the support of Iran, has carried out an Iranian rocket attack that has taken the lives of twelve pure souls. Twelve boys and girls who were playing football and who, unfortunately, were not able to take shelter in time. My heart is broken in two by this tragedy. We want to express our condolences to their families, who are going through a moment of indescribable suffering,” he said.