After alleged Hezbollah attack on Golan Heights kills 12, Israel hits Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Jerusalem: Israel's air force has reported hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon after a rocket attack killed 12 children and young adults who were playing football in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, media reports said.
Israel has blamed the Saturday's attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, though Hezbollah has strongly denied any involvement, BBC reported.
Early Sunday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced airstrikes against seven Hezbollah targets "deep inside Lebanese territory." It is currently unclear if there were any casualties from these strikes, BBC reported.
The escalating tensions risk sparking a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, which have frequently exchanged fire since the onset of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October.
Saturday's incident at the football pitch is the deadliest attack on Israel's northern border since the conflict began on October 7, according to the report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly vowed retaliation against Hezbollah, stating that the group would "pay a heavy price."
After that the Israeli Air Force reported striking "terror targets," including "weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure," overnight.
A UN statement emphasised the importance of "maximum restraint" by all parties, warning that the risk of a broader conflict could "engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief."
Israeli authorities confirmed that all those killed in the attack were between 10 and 20 years old, though Israeli media reported that some victims were even younger.
Verified footage shows crowds on a football pitch, with stretchers being rushed to waiting ambulances. Majdal Shams, one of four villages in the Golan Heights, is home to about 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking Druze religious and ethnic group.
Before the extent of the strike's impact was known, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for four other attacks, including one on a nearby military compound on the slopes of Mt. Hermon, located nearly 3 km (2 miles) from the football pitch.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, after inspecting the attack scene, said the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 "owned exclusively by Hezbollah".
"Our intelligence is clear. Hezbollah is responsible for the murder of innocent children," he said, adding that Israel was preparing to retaliate.
Though Israel and Hezbollah have frequently exchanged fire and both sides have incurred casualties since October, they have so far avoided actions that could escalate into a broader war in southern Lebanon.
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