Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called Saturday’s deadly Hezbollah rocket attack on Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights a “terrible tragedy,” pledging that Iran’s Lebanese terror proxy “will pay the price.”
The minister spoke on Sunday morning while touring the scene of the strike in the Druze town. Twelve children were killed and more than 40 people wounded in the single deadliest Hezbollah attack since the Lebanese terror army joined the war in support of Hamas on Oct. 8, firing drones, missiles and rockets across the border on a near daily basis.
He was accompanied by Majdal Shams Mayor Dolan Abu Saleh and Brig. Gen. Yair Peli, commander of the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Division, responsible for the front with Syria.
IDF chief: Increasing readiness for ‘next stage of fighting in north’
Speaking during a solidarity visit to Majdal Shams on Saturday night, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said that the military is increasing its readiness for “the next stage of fighting in the north.”
Halevi accused Hezbollah of deliberately targeting children.
“This is a Hezbollah rocket. And whoever launches such a rocket into a built-up area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children,” the IDF chief said. He noted that the army knows the exact location in Lebanon where the rocket, a Falaq 1 with a 53-kilogram (117-pound) warhead, was launched.
The missile was launched from an area north of the village of Shebaa in Southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters at a briefing on Saturday that the rocket was manufactured in Iran and that Hezbollah is the only Iranian terror proxy that possesses it.
Halevi expressed sympathy with and support for the Druze community, meeting with community leader Sheikh Mowafaq Ṭarif and representatives of the local authority.
Halevi was accompanied by Peli and Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the IDF Northern Command.
The IDF chief also delivered a message to the tens of thousands of residents of northern Israel displaced from their homes for nearly 10 months amid constant cross-border attacks by Hezbollah.
“We are greatly increasing our readiness for the next stage of fighting in the north. We are simultaneously operating in the Gaza Strip. We know how to strike even very far from the State of Israel,” said Halevi.
“There will be more challenges, and we will raise our readiness. When required, we will act strongly. Our duty is to return the residents of the north safely to their homes, in the entire north, the Galilee and the Golan Heights, a full commitment. It is a difficult day; we will work for better days,” he added.
Netanyahu to convene Security Cabinet, Gantz offers support
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved up his return flight from the U.S. following the attack in northern Israel, his office said.
“The prime minister will convene the Security Cabinet immediately upon his return to Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Meanwhile, National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz offered his full support for the coalition in its response.
“I have said before, and will reiterate it tonight—the government will be afforded wide support from outside the government for any determined and effective response that will restore security to the citizens of the north,” Gantz tweeted on Saturday night.
Names of Hezbollah rocket attack victims published
The names of 11 of the 12 casualties were cleared for publication on Sunday morning. They are:
Alma Ayman Fakher Eldin, 11
Milad Muadad Alsha’ar, 10
Vinees Adham Alsafadi, 11
Iseel Nasha’at Ayoub, 12
Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh, 12
Johnny Wadeea Ibrahim, 13
Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh, 16
Naji Taher Alhalabi, 11
Fajer Laith Abu Saleh, 16
Hazem Akram Abu Saleh, 15
Nathem Fakher Saeb, 16
Twenty-eight of the wounded are still hospitalized at medical centers in the north of the country, including four in serious condition and another four in moderate to serious condition.
One of the victims died of his wounds upon arrival at the hospital.
There is also a search underway for a boy who has been missing since the attack—10-year-old Jibara Ibrahim. Relatives have searched hospitals and the surrounding area to no avail. He is believed to have been at the soccer field when the rocket struck.
IDF attacks deep in Lebanese territory
Following the deadly rocket attack, the IDF struck targets “both deep inside Lebanese territory and in Southern Lebanon,” according to the military.
However, these strikes are not considered to be a response to Saturday’s atrocity.
IDF: Terrain, altitude to blame for lack of interception
According to the IDF’s initial investigation, the conditions of the terrain in the area and the low altitude of the rocket’s flight path caused the failure to intercept it.
The probe also found that the alert system did not malfunction. The sirens sounded for 20 seconds before the rocket impact, contrary to claims that the warning was activated only a few seconds before the explosion.
Hezbollah on high alert as Washington, Beirut urge restraint
Hezbollah is on high alert in anticipation of a strong Israeli response to the deadly attack on Majdal Shams, two security sources told Reuters on Sunday. The terror group evacuated key sites in Southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley as a precautionary measure.
While Israeli leaders have vowed to take action, the Lebanese government has asked the United States to urge restraint from Jerusalem.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Reuters that Beirut conveyed the message to Washington, with the United States also asking the Lebanese government to pass a message to Hezbollah to show restraint as well, amid fears that the incident could spark a wider war.
