EThis was the deadliest attack on an Israeli civilian target along the country’s northern border since fighting began between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah the day after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7.
The attack raises fears of a wider regional war.
Israel blamed Hezbollah for the attack, but the Islamist group quickly denied any responsibility in a statement saying it had “no connection with the incident” and “categorically denied all false allegations.”
A rocket attack on a soccer field in the city of Majdal Shams on the border between northern Israel, southern Lebanon and Jordan killed at least 11 children and teenagers, Israeli authorities said.
The Israeli military considered the incident “very serious” and said it would act accordingly.
“Hezbollah fired a rocket at children playing soccer in northern Israel. Then it lied and said it was not the one who carried out the attack,” said the army’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
“There is no doubt that Hezbollah has crossed all red lines and the response will reflect that,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israel’s Channel 12. “We are approaching the moment when we will face an all-out war,” he added.
Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, Mohammed Afif, told The Associated Press that the group “categorically denies carrying out an attack on Majdal Shams.” It is unusual for Hezbollah to deny an attack.
The attack on the football pitch, shortly before sunset, followed other violent incidents today in the cross-border region between Israel and Lebanon, in which Hezbollah says it lost three of its fighters, without specifying where.
The Israeli military said its air force targeted a Hezbollah weapons depot in the border village of Kfar Kila, adding that Lebanese militants were inside at the time.
Hezbollah said its fighters carried out nine separate attacks using rockets and explosive drones against Israeli military posts, the latest of which targeted the Haramoun Brigade military command in Maaleh Golani with Katyusha mortars.
The office of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently visiting the United States, announced that the head of government will shorten his trip by several hours, without specifying when he will return to Israel.
Netanyahu will convene the Security Cabinet upon his arrival.
Footage broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12 showed a huge explosion in one of the valleys near Majdal Shams, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in 1981.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since the day after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7. In recent weeks, the exchange of fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border has intensified, with Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks hitting several locations further and further from the border.
Today’s violence comes as Israel and Hamas are considering a ceasefire proposal that would end the nearly 10-month war and free the roughly 110 hostages still being held in Gaza.
The Hamas attack on October 7 killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Israel has launched an offensive that has killed more than 39,000 people, according to local health authorities.
Read Also: Herzog Accuses Hezbollah of Killing Children: “Their Only Crime Was Taking to the Streets”
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2605866/netanyahu-avisa-que-hezbollah-pagara-um-preco-elevado-por-ataque
