The morning after Hezbollah’s deadly rocket fire at the football field in Majdal Shams, which killed no less than 12 Druze children, various parties are still trying to understand what exactly happened, how this changes the situation on the northern front – and how they should prepare accordingly.
According to initial IDF investigation, the shooting was carried out from a location not far from the Israeli border, in the Lebanese Hermon, north of the Sheba’a farm. The rocket was a ‘Falk 1’, carrying a weight of 50 kilograms of explosives, and capable of reaching a distance of about 10 kilometers. The rocket is manufactured in Iran’s air industries, which indicates Iran’s direct involvement in this war. Iron Dome finds it difficult to intercept rockets of this type due to the angle of their firing and the low-flying, which explains the success of the firing to a populated area.
In the meantime, the names of 11 of the 12 children who were murdered were published: Fajr Leith Abu Saleh (16), Amir Rabi Abu Saleh (16 14), Hazem Akram Abu Saleh (15), John Wadi Ibrahim (13), Isil Nashat Ayub (11), Finis Adham Safadi (11), Yazan Naif Abu Saleh (10), Alma Ayman Fakhar al-Din (12), and Ismail Taha (11) (12). Most of them are expected to be brought to rest in the morning and afternoon.
In Israel, there are continued evaluations for raising the level of activity against Hezbollah. Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi visited Majdal Shams, and promised that “we will hit Hizbullah hard, take it back, return the residents to their homes in the north safely. We are very determined to do that.” Defense Minister Galant also held an assessment with senior officials, stating that “Hezbollah is responsible for this and they will pay the price.” Prime Minister Netanyahu is on his way back to Israel from his diplomatic visit to the United States.
The shooting has gained worldwide attention and headlines in many of the world’s media. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming US presidential election, referred to the shooting, saying that “the cruel Hezbollah hit the children with an accurate Iranian missile… We condemn the vicious attack on Israel that took place earlier today. A Hezbollah-launched missile hit at least 12 small children, they played soccer on Israeli territory in the Golan Heights, an area I recognized during my tenure as a territory under Israeli sovereignty. It was a big thing.” The White House also expressed its support for Israel: “Our support for Israel’s security is cast in iron and uncompromising against all the terrorist organizations supported by Iran, including Hezbollah.”
Hezbollah, which understands the negative image caused by the shooting, and fears that relations with the Druze community in Lebanon (which accounts for one tenth of the population) are deteriorating, strongly denies that it carried out the shooting to Majdal Shams (despite the fact that the organization admitted to firing many rockets at Israel yesterday). Iran, which fears that the incident will give Israel grounds to expand its attack on Hezbollah, also threatened this morning: “We warn Israel of a new ‘adventure’ in Lebanon. Israel bears responsibility for any unexpected response to its own behavior.”