Saturday's football pitch tragedy: Israel blames Hezbollah attack

We condemn this horrific attack that reportedly killed a number of teenagers and children playing soccer on a Saturday evening... Our support for Israel’s security is iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah - announced in a White House statement.

According to the Israeli military, in a Hezbollah rocket attack on the predominantly Druze town of Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights, 11 people were killed, and over 30 were injured. The rockets fell on a football pitch; all the victims were children and young people aged 10 to 20. Hezbollah denies responsibility for the attack.

Donald Trump also criticised the attack. - Today’s attack on Israel cannot be forgotten. This Attack, just like the Attack of October 7th, or the Ukraine/Russia War, would have never happened if I were President - said the Republican candidate in the upcoming November presidential elections in the USA.

The Biden administration is highly concerned that a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed 12 people in the Golan Heights could lead to an all out war between Israel and Hezbollah - reported the Axios portal.

"What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months" - an American government source told the portal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Israel Katz immediately announced a response to the Saturday attack.

This was the bloodiest attack on Israeli civilians since the Hamas attacks on 7 October 2023. Since then, Hezbollah, which controls southern Lebanon and is backed by Iran, has been regularly shelling northern Israel.