Golan Heights attack: Funerals of 11 children held amid fear of Israel-Hezbollah war escalation

The funerals of eleven children, who died during a rocket attack on a football field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, were held on Sunday.

Israel has blamed the Saturday’s attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, though Hezbollah has strongly denied any involvement, BBC reported.

Following the attack, Israeli Defense Forces chief Herzi Halevi was quoted as saying by IDF X page: “We know exactly where the rocket was launched from today… This is a Hezbollah rocket, and whoever launches such a rocket into a built-up area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children.”

Israel’s Defence Minister says Hezbollah will pay the price

Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed revenge and wrote on X: “We mourn the innocent boys and girls killed in Majdal Shams.There are 150,000 Druze in Israel, as well as millions of Jews and Arab Israelis. We live side by side and all suffer from Hezbollah’s terror.We will ensure Hezbollah, the proxy of Iran, pays a price for this loss.”

The escalating tensions risk sparking a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, which have frequently exchanged fire since the onset of the Israel-Gaza conflict in October.

Saturday’s incident at the football pitch is the deadliest attack on Israel’s northern border since the conflict began on October 7, according to the report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly pledged retaliation against Hezbollah, stating that the group would “pay a heavy price.”

After that, the Israeli Air Force reported striking “terror targets,” including “weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure,” overnight.

Though Israel and Hezbollah have frequently exchanged fire and both sides have incurred casualties since October, they have so far avoided actions that could escalate into a broader war in southern Lebanon.