JERUSALEM/BEIRUT. A rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights resulted in the deaths of 12 people, including children, on Saturday, according to Israeli authorities. The attack, which targeted a pitch in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, has been attributed to Hezbollah, although the group has denied involvement.
The strike, the deadliest in Israeli or annexed territories since the Gaza conflict began, has significantly heightened tensions. The Israeli government has vowed severe retaliation against Hezbollah, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating, “Hezbollah will pay a heavy price, the kind it has thus far not paid,” during a call with the leader of the Druze community in Israel.
Hezbollah has issued a statement denying any involvement: “The Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard.”
The Israeli ambulance service reported that 13 more individuals were injured in the attack, which occurred while the football pitch was occupied by children and teenagers. Witness Mourhaf Abu Saleh described the scene: “They were playing soccer, they heard sirens, they ran to shelter… it may take them like 15 seconds (to reach the shelter). But they couldn’t reach the shelter because the rocket hit the site between the ground and the shelter.”
Social media footage captured the explosion and the resulting smoke. Israeli medic Idan Avshalom described the aftermath: “There were casualties on the grass and the scene was gruesome.”
In response, Netanyahu is cutting short his visit to the United States to return to Israel and convene his security cabinet. The U.S. has condemned the attack, with a White House National Security Council spokesperson reaffirming, “U.S. support for Israel’s security is iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah.”
The Israeli military has identified the rocket as an Iranian-made Falaq-1, launched from an area north of the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari confirmed that Hezbollah had previously claimed responsibility for several rocket attacks on Israeli military positions.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for stringent retaliation, including targeting Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: “For the death of children, Nasrallah should pay with his head. All of Lebanon should pay,” he posted on X.
The conflict has displaced tens of thousands in Lebanon and Israel, with Israeli strikes killing about 350 Hezbollah fighters and over 100 civilians in Lebanon. Since October, the death toll among civilians from Hezbollah attacks in Israel has risen to 23, with at least 17 soldiers also killed.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force is engaged in discussions with both Lebanese and Israeli authorities to manage the situation. The focus remains on preventing a full-scale war as Hezbollah continues to respond with retaliatory attacks following an Israeli strike that killed four militants, including at least one Hezbollah member.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
