Rocket Fire Kills 12 Young People in Israeli-Annexed Golan Heights
In a devastating attack, 12 young people were killed in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights when an Iranian-made rocket carrying a 50-kilogram warhead struck a football field in the Druze Arab town of Majdal Shams. The White House has blamed the attack on Lebanese Hezbollah, with National Security Council Spokeswoman Adrienne Watson calling it “horrific” and urging universal condemnation.
According to the Israeli military, the rocket was fired by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group on Saturday. Watson stated that the rocket was launched from an area controlled by Hezbollah and should be universally condemned. The White House has been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the attack, she added.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, also condemned the attack, stating that she has been briefed and is closely monitoring the situation. Harris “condemns this horrific attack and mourns for all those killed and wounded,” her NSC advisor Phil Gordon wrote on X.
However, Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the incident, claiming that its past cross-border fire was an act of support for Palestinian Islamists from Hamas who have been fighting Israel’s military in Gaza since October 7.
The violence in the region has been ongoing, with at least 527 people killed in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally, most of them fighters but also including 104 civilians. On the Israeli side, 22 soldiers and 24 civilians have been killed in the cross-border action, according to Israeli authorities.
The incident highlights the ongoing tensions between Israel and its neighbors, with the White House reaffirming its support for Israel’s security against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah.
