Attack ‘crossed every possible red and black line’: Israeli Druze Fury at Hezbollah
Israel’s Druze community was reeling in shock after a Hezbollah rocket killed 11 youths and injured another 29 on a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on Saturday.
Multiple casualties as rocket hits playground in Majdal Sham, Golan Heights
Pic: ATEF SAFADI/EPA
Most of the casualties were between the ages of 10-20. As casualties mounted, so did Druze’s anger.
“This is a terrible disaster that must not be ignored,” Israeli Druze politician Fateen Mulla told The Press Service of Israel.
“They deliberately targeted a Druze village, knowing that these residents would not be evacuated, and chose to attack a place where children were playing,” the former Knesset member said.
“The State of Israel must respond and eliminate Nasrallah and all the terrorists. If Israel does not act, we will act and restore peace to the entire north. We will not remain silent on this matter,” Mulla stressed.
Sheikh Muafek Tarif, spiritual leader of Israel’s 152,000 called the attack “cruel and murderous.”
“It is impossible to imagine and describe the horror of the children and their broken parts lying on the grass. A reformed country cannot afford continuous harm to its citizens. This is the ongoing reality in the northern settlements. Tonight, it crossed every possible red and black line,” Tarif added.
The strike came hours after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a Hezbollah arms depot in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila. Three Hezbollah operatives were killed in the strike.
Hezbollah initially claimed responsibility twice for firing rockets at an army base on the nearby Mount Hermon, a few hundred meters away from Majdal Shams. But the Iran-backed terror organization backed off the claim as the casualty count mounted, claiming that the children were killed by an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor.
In response, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, “In the last hour, Hezbollah has been lying and denying its responsibility. From our investigation, it is clear that Hezbollah is responsible for the killing of innocent children playing soccer. This is a very serious incident, and we will act accordingly. This is the most severe incident involving civilian casualties since October 7th. We will act to restore safety on the northern border for the sake of all Israeli citizens.”
According to the IDF, warning sirens sounded, but there wasn’t enough time to take cover. The military is investigating why the rocket was not intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system.
“We arrived at the soccer field and saw destruction and objects on fire, injured people were lying on the grass and the sights were dire,” said senior Magen David Adom medic Idan Avshalom. “We immediately started sorting out the injured, some of the injured were taken to local clinics. During the incident there were additional alerts and the medical treatment of the injured is still ongoing.”
“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,” said Mourhaf Abu Saleh, a witness.
Hezbollah had earlier announced several rocket attacks targeting Israeli military positions.
The United States, which has been leading diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict across the Lebanese-Israeli border, condemned it as a horrific attack and said US support for Israel’s security was “iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah”.
The Israeli military said the rocket launch was carried out from an area located north of the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon.
Speaking with reporters at Majdal Shams, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that forensics showed the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1.
Hezbollah fears a Druze response and now claims the children were killed by an Iron Dome interceptor. Druze make up approximately five percent of the Lebanese population.
The Alma Institute told The Press Service of Israel that Hezbollah rocket barrages on northern Israel are expanding in range, reaching deeper into Israel to unevacuated communities,
After being briefed on the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in the US, advanced his return several hours early, his visit short, his office said.
The Druze trace their ancestry back to the Biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Druze serve in senior positions in public and military life, and the bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is referred to as the “covenant of blood.” The Druze speak Arabic but are not Muslim and are very secretive about their religious beliefs.
Around 60,000 Israelis living near the Lebanese border were forced to evacuate in October when Hezbollah terror organization began daily rocket and drone attacks. Leaders of the Iran-backed terror group have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. The attacks have killed 12 civilians and 18 soldiers.
Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
ZFA President, Jeremy Leibler, said “”Hezbollah has been relentlessly attacking Israel for nine months, and Israel has the absolute right to defend itself. Facing near-daily rocket, missile, and drone attacks, around 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes in the north for more than nine months.”
Alon Cassuto, CEO of the ZFA, said “Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation that bears full responsibility for dragging Lebanon and its civilians into this conflict. The international community had a duty to keep Hezbollah away from Israel’s border and has failed. In this case, this failure has led to the tragic death of many children.
This is an untenable situation. We expect the Australian Government to unequivocally support Israel to take actions to remove the Hezbollah threat.”
Robert Gregory, CEO of AJA, commented: “We mourn the massacre of children and other innocents.
For months, Islamic terrorists in Lebanon have been targeting the people of Israel. Today they succeeded in killing many citizens from the Druze minority.
The time for restraint ended long ago. Children cannot be massacred with impunity.
The Government of Lebanon is responsible for the terrorism that comes from its borders.
It is time for a crushing response.
We were disgusted to see Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, barely 24 hours ago, call for restraint against Hezbollah terrorists.
His comments demonstrate a real ignorance and lack of leadership.
While we call for the Australian Government to show unequivocal support for Israel in its battle against Islamic terrorism, we have no faith in them to do so. Instead, we call for all decent people to support Israel’s battle against barbarism. “
Dr Colin Rubenstein, executive director of AIJAC, said: “The horrific carnage in Majdal Shams shows the inhumane brutality of the terror group Hezbollah. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to the families of the victims and to Israel’s Druze community. This attack reaffirms the need for the international community to enforce UN Security Council resolution 1701, passed at the end of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, which requires Hezbollah to withdraw to the Litani River, about 20km from Lebanon’s border with Israel. The constant ongoing unprovoked Hezbollah attacks, using advanced weapons that, like the rocket that hit Majdal Shams, are provided by Iran, have forced approximately 70,000 residents of Israel’s north to become refugees in their own country, a state of affairs which Israel obviously cannot allow to continue.”
With Reuters
