Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised repercussions for Hezbollah following a rocket assault that resulted in the deaths of 12 children and left many others injured on Saturday.
Netanyahu abbreviated his trip to the U.S. and quickly headed back to Israel after the attack. A Hezbollah rocket hit a soccer field in northern Israel where children were playing, located in a Druze community, as they ran toward a bomb shelter.
“As a citizen of Israel, like you, I was struck by horror. The horrifying images from Hezbollah’s lethal assault on Majdal Shams are hard to bear,” Netanyahu expressed in a Hebrew statement. “Among those affected were young children playing soccer, along with other casualties. Our hearts are shattered by these images.”
“We stand with the families and the entire Druze community during this trying time, which is also ours to bear,” he continued.
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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) (JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
“Since being informed of this tragedy, I have been engaged in ongoing security discussions and [began] to hasten our return to Israel. I will convene the security cabinet as soon as I land,” Netanyahu added.
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“I assure you that the State of Israel will not remain passive. We won’t allow this to go unanswered,” he pledged.
Israeli security forces and medics assist casualties alongside local residents at a site where a reported strike from Lebanon occurred in Majdal Shams village in Israel on July 27, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images) (ALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in collaboration with the IDF’s Chief of General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, carried out a situational review of the attack on Saturday.
The IDF reported that around 30 projectiles were observed entering Israel from Lebanon that day.
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According to Israeli Channel 12, Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated during a televised discussion, “We are nearing the point of a full-scale war in the north against Hezbollah; we will retaliate disproportionately,” as relayed in a translated note on X by Israeli journalists Ben Caspit and Dafna Liel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Congress just days prior to the Hezbollah attack on Israel. (Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Yakkov Amidror, the former national security adviser to Prime Minister Netanyahu, shared insights with Fox News Digital regarding the possibility of an imminent full-scale war between Israel and the Lebanon-based terrorist organization Hezbollah.
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On Saturday evening, the Biden administration released a statement denouncing the attack and reaffirming President Biden’s support for Israel’s security.
“We condemn this horrifying attack that reportedly took the lives of several teenagers and children playing soccer on a Saturday night in the village of Majdal Shams in northern Israel. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims, and we wish a swift recovery for the injured,” the White House stated. “Israel continues to encounter serious threats to its security, as witnessed today, and the United States remains committed to supporting efforts to put an end to these dreadful attacks along the Blue Line, which must be prioritized. Our backing for Israel’s security is unwavering and resolute against all Iranian-backed terror groups, including Hezbollah.”
Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report
