Ernst leads congressional trip to Israel, visits Druze village hit by Hezbollah

A congressional delegation led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Tuesday visited Majdal Shams, a Druze village in northern Israel that made international headlines last month when a Hezbollah rocket struck, killing 12 children and wounding 40 others while they played soccer.

On X, Ernst called the morning “sobering.” She said one need “look no further for reasons why we must stand with Israel in the face of this terrorism that has no bounds.”

“The community of Majdal Shams already lives under the uncertainty of terror,” Ernst stated on Tuesday. “My heart broke as I heard the stories of mothers, fathers and community leaders forced to mourn the lives of children taken too soon.”

The attack occurred on July 27. The visit by Congress members took place exactly a month later, on Aug. 27.

“Witnessing the impact of this brutality further shows that Iran-backed Hezbollah and Hamas’ terrorism truly show no bounds,” stated Ernst. “To them, civilians are not off-limits, and they make no exceptions for targeting children or the soccer fields where they play.”

The delegation met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, the day before their visit to the Druze community. Other legislators in the delegation included Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), John Curtis (R-Utah) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa).