Netanyahu's Reaction Against Hezbollah is Authorized by Israeli Ministers
Regarding the deadly rocket attack that Israel and the US claim was carried out by the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, the security cabinet of Israel has given permission to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister to determine when and how to respond.
Following the attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday night that resulted in the deaths of twelve Druze children and teens, ministers convened in an emergency session. It has been refuted by Hezbollah.
After months of gunfire between the two sides, this cross-border event was the deadliest. Concerns that the attack could lead to a full-scale conflict have increased in light of the comparatively restrained hostilities to date. Governments in the West are pressuring Israel to respond cautiously. The national security spokeswoman for the White House, John Kirby, stated that following Saturday's attack, Israel had the right to retaliate against Hezbollah, but he also emphasized that no one "wants a broader war."
After the incident, Mr. Netanyahu canceled a trip to the US and visited the bombing site on Monday afternoon in the Druze hamlet of Majdal Shams. "These children are our children," he stated. "The state of Israel cannot and will not allow this to happen. We'll respond, and it will be harsh."
According to an AFP correspondent there, a large number of locals demonstrated against the prime minister's visit to the town. The authorities have come under fire for failing to stop the strike.
The White House reported:
"Continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts have taken place since the horrific attack on the Majdal Shams playing field." It stated that it was "also working on a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line [the unofficial frontier between Israel and Lebanon] that will end all attacks once and for all."
According to Lebanese official media, two persons were killed by an Israeli drone strike on Monday morning outside the village of Shaqra in Lebanon, which is located around 6.5 kilometers (four miles) from the Israeli border. The men who had died were identified by Hezbollah as two of its militants. Israel has not responded to the findings.
As fears of Israeli reprisals mount, Air France has become the latest airline to halt operations to and from Beirut. Similar flight suspensions have been announced by Eurowings, Swiss International Air Lines, and Lufthansa.
The young victims' burials in Majdal Shams were held on Sunday amidst visceral anguish. As the white-draped caskets were carried through the town, thousands of people gathered around them. The Druze community, who have resided on the Golan Heights for centuries, has never experienced an onslaught as severe as this one. They belong to an ethnic and religious group that speaks Arabic and is concentrated in northern Israel, the Golan Heights, Syria, and Lebanon.
Although many have remained loyal to Syria, the people living on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights have been governed by Israel since Israel annexed the region from Syria in the 1967 war. Twenty percent of the approximately 21,000 residents of the rocky plateau are citizens of Israel. Outrage has been expressed by many in Israel and among the approximately 110,000 Druze people who also reside in Israel over the attack on Majdal Shams.
Following his Sunday return from the United States, Mr. Netanyahu met with defense officials before calling a meeting of the security cabinet. "Exactly where the rocket was launched from" was known by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), according to a statement released on Sunday by Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, the country's chief military officer.
According to Gen. Halevi, it was an unguided surface-to-surface Falaq missile with a 53-kilogram warhead manufactured in Iran. "This rocket belongs to Hezbollah. And whoever fires a rocket like that into a populated area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill kids," he added.
The formerly intermittent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified since the latter launched rockets at Israeli positions one day after Hamas's lethal assault on the country on October 7. Hezbollah claims to be acting in the Palestinians' best interests.