JERUSALEM – An imminent Israeli response is expected against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon following a rocket attack that tragically claimed the lives of 12 young individuals playing soccer.
On early Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly carried out a drone strike in southern Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of two Hezbollah militants. The IDF has yet to comment on this strike. These drone attacks followed a three-hour cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, where ministers granted him and his defense minister the authority to decide on the “manner and timing” of military responses to the deadly Hezbollah assault.
Danny Danon, Israel’s newly appointed ambassador to the United Nations, stated on “Fox and Friends” that Israel’s “response will be swift, harsh, and painful, and we are currently selecting our targets. I believe in the coming days, Hezbollah will learn its lesson.” He added that Israel has no “intention of engaging in full-scale war.”
NETANYAHU RESPONDS TO HEZBOLLAH ATTACK THAT KILLED CHILDREN AT SOCCER FIELD: ‘THIS WILL NOT GO UNANSWERED’
Israeli security forces and medics transport casualties from a site where a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in Israel on July 27, 2024. (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
On Monday, Netanyahu visited Majdal Shams and stated on X that Israel’s response to the massacre of children would be “coming and it will be severe.” Netanyahu reassured the Druze Israeli community: “We are brothers. We share bonds in life and, unfortunately, in grieving… Israel will always stand with you.”
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller confirmed that Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken had a conversation with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday.
“The Secretary reiterated the United States’ steadfast commitment to Israel’s security against Iranian-backed terrorist threats, including Hezbollah. He underscored the need to prevent escalation and discussed efforts to seek a diplomatic solution that allows citizens on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border to return home,” Miller stated.
The Jerusalem Post reported that French President Emmanuel Macron communicated to Netanyahu that France is “fully committed to doing everything possible to prevent further escalation in the region by relaying messages to all involved parties.” Unlike Germany and Britain, France has not classified Hezbollah’s entire movement as a terrorist group, while Israel and the U.S. have urged France to do so.
Air France has halted flights to and from Beirut due to expectations of a potential major conflict. Other airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, and Eurowings, have also suspended operations.
People stand by damaged bicycles at a site where a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in Israel on July 27, 2024. (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
The Druze community in Israel is grappling with the shock of the violent attack by Hezbollah.
Sunday’s scenes in Majdal Shams were filled with sorrow, shock, and misery as residents mourned the young victims of the rocket attack, which resulted in the deaths of at least 12 and injuries to about 29 others—mostly aged between 10 and 20—who were innocently playing soccer.
The Druze people trace their roots back to the Biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Israeli Druze hold important roles within public and military sectors, and the bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is often referred to as the “covenant of blood.” While they speak Arabic, the Druze are not Muslim and maintain a level of secrecy regarding their religious practices, according to the TPS news agency.
TRUMP GREETS NETANYAHU AT MAR-A-LAGO, SAYS WORLD WAR III COULD HAPPEN IF HARRIS WINS
Mourners attend a funeral held on July 28, 2024 for 10 of the victims of yesterday’s rocket attack in Majdal Shams. Twelve young people were killed in a rocket attack on a soccer pitch in this Druze Arab community. Israel blamed the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah for the attack. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
During a press conference in Japan on Sunday, Blinken stated, “I emphasize (Israel’s) right to defend its citizens and our determination to ensure that they are able to do so.” He also expressed concern over the potential escalation of conflict and its expansion, as reported by Reuters.
Blinken confirmed that discussions were ongoing between the U.S. and indicated that Hezbollah was indeed the source of the rocket fired from Lebanon. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson stated on Sunday, “This attack was executed by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket, launched from an area under their control, and it should be universally condemned.”
ODDS OF ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR ‘INEVITABLE,’ EXPERTS FEAR: ‘TOTALLY PESSIMISTIC’
The scene of a deadly Hezbollah rocket strike on a soccer field in the Israeli Druze village of Majdal Shams on July 28, 2024. The strike killed 12 and injured more than 30, with most of the casualties between the ages of 10-20. (Erez Ben Simon/TPS-IL)
The failure to accurately identify Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, as the perpetrator of the tragic attack in an X post by American Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew has drawn backlash online.
David Wurmser, a former senior advisor on nonproliferation and Middle East strategy for Vice President Dick Cheney, responded to Lew’s statement on X, saying, “If I didn’t know better, your statement makes it seem as though the attack happened spontaneously due to an evil missile acting on its own.”
Similarly, the head of the European Union’s foreign policy, Josep Borrell, has faced criticism for failing to hold Hezbollah accountable for its use of an Iranian rocket to kill children.
During an operational briefing, Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant remarked on Hezbollah, saying, “Despite their absurd denials, they will face severe consequences for their actions.”
Israeli security forces and medics transport casualties along with local residents, at a site where a reported strike from Lebanon fell in Majdal Shams village in Israel on July 27, 2024. (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Hezbollah-affiliated media was the first to report on the attack while initially boasting about it, only for the terror group to later deny their involvement once the attack’s brutality became evident. The blame has firmly been placed on Hezbollah by the Israeli authorities.
On Saturday, the Times of Israel quoted Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stating during an interview, “We are facing an all-out war.”
The IDF reported that approximately 30 projectiles were detected entering Israel from Lebanon on Saturday. Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, remains the effective ruling body in Lebanon.
HEZBOLLAH BOMBARDS ISRAEL WITH ROCKETS, DRONES
According to Israel’s TPS news agency, the IDF has heightened its readiness for potential warfare. During a tour of the region, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said, “We are significantly enhancing our readiness for the upcoming phase of combat in the north while simultaneously engaging in efforts in Gaza. We are capable of launching strikes even far beyond the borders of Israel. Future challenges are anticipated, and we will increase our preparedness.”
“We have identified the exact location from which the rocket was launched. On the wall of the soccer field, we discovered remnants of the rocket, which we can confirm to be a Falaq rocket with a warhead weighing 53 kilograms. This is a Hezbollah missile. Anyone who fires such a weapon into a populated area intends to harm civilians, including children,” Halevi asserted.
An Iranian military truck carries surface-to-air missiles past a portrait of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a parade on the occasion of the country’s annual army day on April 18, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
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According to FDD Iran Senior Fellow Behnam Ben Taleblu, the rocket was Iranian in origin. “It should come as no surprise that the munition Hezbollah employed against Israel is of Iranian design and manufacture. When Iranian officials chant ‘death to Israel,’ they mean every word of it. The weapon used in this latest assault is a spin-stabilized artillery rocket called the Falaq-1, with a range of 10km and equipped with a 50kg warhead.”
