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At least 12 people were killed on July 27, all aged between 10 and 20, and dozens more were wounded when a projectile hit a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) blaming Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Videos posted to social networks showed a large blast at the soccer field and people scrambling to help the casualties later.
Israeli medics declared 10 of the victims dead at the scene, while two were declared dead at hospitals. More than 32 others were wounded, some of whom seriesly.
Hezbollah, who has been launching attacks from Lebanon against the IDF since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip, quickly issued a statement that it had “absolutely nothing to do with the incident” in Majdal Shams, whose Syrian population are known for their stand against the occupation of the Golan Heights.
“The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon categorically denies the false allegations made by some Israeli enemy media outlets and various media platforms about targeting Majdal Shams,” the statement reads.
Later it was reported that Hezbollah informed the United Nations that the deadly incident in Majdal Shams was the result of an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile failing.
The IDF however rejected that assertion, saying the attack “was carried out by the Hezbollah terror group” while citing “assessments carried out by the military and reliable intelligence information available to us.”
The military said it had determined that the rocket was launched by the terror group from an area just north of the Lebanese village of Chebaa.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, in a press conference from the scene identified the rocket that struck Majdal Shams as an Iranian-made Falaq-1.
“A Falaq-1 rocket struck here in the soccer field, it is an Iranian rocket, manufactured in Iran, a rocket with a warhead of over 50 kilograms of explosives,” he said. “The forensic findings at the scene point to this rocket. Falaq-1 is only in use by the Hezbollah terror group, which carried out this attack from Chebaa.”
Earlier, Hagari said that according to an initial probe, rocket sirens sounded in the town “but this is an immediate alert — too short.”
“In the past hour, Hezbollah has been lying and denying responsibility for the incident,” Hagari said. “Our intelligence is clear, Hezbollah is responsible for the murder of innocent children.
Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, later said that the deadly incident was directed by Ali Muhammad Yahya, who is the commander of a rocket launching site in the Chebaa area.
“Despite its attempts to deny: Hezbollah is responsible for the massacre in Majdal Shams and the killing of children and boys on the soccer field,” Adraee added.
Top military and security officials presented Defense Minister Yoav Gallant with “options for action against Hezbollah” in response to the attack, his office said.
“Gallant determined the courses of action and instructed the defense establishment accordingly,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was still in the United States after his speech to Congress and meetings with top American officials, moved up his flight back to Israel by several hours following the incident.
Israel’s Channel 12 cited a senior Israeli official in Netanyahu’s delegation as saying: “The events in the north will bring about a dramatic turning point in fighting in the area.”
Later, Kan news cited an unnamed senior Israeli official as saying “The disaster at Majdal Shams could signal a change of direction in the war.” A security official told the public broadcaster: “This is an incident that we will not gloss over. There will be a severe response.”
Overnight, Israeli fighter jets struck a series of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon overnight, according to the IDF. However, Hebrew media noted that this was not the response to the incident in Majdal Shams.
The targets included weapon depots and other infrastructure in the towns of Shabriha and Burj al-Shemali near Tyre; the Beqaa Valley; and the southern Lebanese towns of Kafr Kila, Rab al-Thalathine, Khiam, and Tayr Harfa. No casualties were reported by Lebanese media.
All in all, Israel appears to be planning to use the deadly incident in Majdal Shams as a pretext to escalate against Hezbollah, which could lead to an all-out war with Lebanon.
Clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border have already claimed the lives of 30 Israelis and more than 500 people in Lebanon. A war will cause way more casualties in addition to much destruction on both sides. It would also seriously destabilize the entire Middle East.
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