Ten people, including children, were killed in a rocket attack on a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, according to Israel’s ambulance service. Israel has accused Hezbollah of the strike, though the Lebanese group has denied any involvement.
Israel’s military stated it is preparing a response to the attack, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the conflict in Gaza began.
Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire in areas near the Lebanese-Israeli border, raising fears of a full-scale war between the heavily armed adversaries.
The Israeli ambulance service reported that 13 more people were wounded by a rocket fired from Lebanon that struck a football pitch in the Druze village of Majdal Shams. “We witnessed great destruction when we arrived at the soccer field, as well as items that were on fire. There were casualties on the grass and the scene was gruesome,” said Idan Avshalom, a medic with the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
A witness told Reuters, “It landed in the soccer pitch, all of them are children… many bodies and remains are in the field; we don’t know who they are.” She asked to remain anonymous.
The attack on the soccer pitch followed an Israeli strike in Lebanon that killed four militants on Saturday. Two security sources in Lebanon said the four fighters killed in the Israeli strike on Kfarkila in southern Lebanon were members of different armed groups, with at least one belonging to Hezbollah.
The Israeli military stated that its aircraft had targeted a military structure belonging to Hezbollah after identifying a militant cell entering the building. Following this, at least 30 rockets were fired from Lebanon across the border, according to the military.
“According to an IDF situational assessment and the intelligence in our possession, the rocket launch toward Majdal Shams was carried out by the Hezbollah terrorist organization,” the military said.
