U.S. condemns 'horrific' attack, reportedly 'highly concerned' over all-out war (2024)

Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that Israel carried out strikes in several locations in Lebanon, including in the city of Aabbasiyyeh, located northeast of Tyre.

According to the report, the other attacks took place in the villages of Kila, Khiam, and Tayr Harfa.

The Wing of Zion airplane carrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed from Andrews Air Force Base in Washington back to Israel on Saturday night.

In an unusual step, the plane is making its way to Israel before the Sabbath ends in Washington, and is expected to land around three hours earlier than originally planned due to the Majdal Shams rocket attack.

Eyewitnesses to the deadly rocket strike in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening report that while an alarm sounded, it did so only seconds before the rocket hit the town's soccer field, killing 11 children and teenagers aged 10 to 20.

Mashnat Mahmoud, a resident of Majdal Shams, said that the windows of his house shattered from the blast. He rushed to the impact site. "Some of the bodies were unrecognizable. They must have been right at the point of impact," he said.

Dr. Osama Halabi, a resident of the nearby Druze village of Mas'ada, recounted, "I was at home when it happened. I heard the alarms and got a call. I realized it was a severe incident. I rushed to the clinic in Majdal Shams. Many wounded arrived. It was hard to process what I saw. Such a severe event. The sights were like nothing I had ever seen," he said.

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Israeli army Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said that the rocket attack in Majdal Shams on Saturday would lead to "a very significant reaction."

"Residents of the area – be patient, we will respond, and when that happens, they may shoot [at northern Israel] more," Halevi continued.

Halevi delivered his remarks during a visit to Majdal Shams on Saturday night, adding that "we've fought before, and after this incident, we will fight even more."

Twelve children and teenagers were killed when a rocket hit Majdal Shams, IDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari said on Saturday night.

According to Hagari, the rocket that hit the soccer field where the youths were playing was manufactured in Iran and is held only by Hezbollah. It is of the heavy Falaq 1 model, which contains an explosive warhead of some 50 kilograms.

Hagari added that the rocket was fired at Majdal Shams from the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon, and that the army "had no intelligence that Hezbollah was planning to fire at this area."

The IDF identified the shooter as Hezbollah operative Ali Mohammed Yahya, a commander in the area of the village from which the rocket was fired.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he has held continuous defense consultations since he was informed of the missile attack in Majdal Shams on Saturday, and said he would convene the security cabinet for an urgent meeting upon his return to Israel from Washington.

"The State of Israel will not remain silent. We will not allow this to be put on the agenda," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Dozens are protesting at the Kaplan junction in central Tel Aviv, and police have begun to forcefully evacuate them, arresting one protester.

At the end of the demonstration, a group of youths and right-wing activists at the scene also tried to harm the demonstrators. They were removed by the police several times, and in a number of instances, protesters had to remove them themselves.

The White House on Saturday condemned a missile attack on a Druze village in northern Israel, calling the strike, which killed 11 people, including children, on a soccer pitch "horrific."

Israeli authorities blamed Hezbollah for the attack and vowed to respond against the Iran-backed Lebanese group, though Hezbollah denied any responsibility.

"Our support for Israel's security is iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement.