"Our response is coming, and it will be severe," Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced Monday while visiting the scene of a Lebanese rocket strike on a soccer field in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights which killed 12 children and teenagers the day prior.
The rocket came from Lebanon and has been widely blamed on Hezbollah, however, the group denied responsibility soon after the mass civilian casualties became evident. Interestingly, Syria blamed an Israeli anti-air rocket for the catastrophe. The Israeli prime minister and his defense minister, Yoav Gallant, have received formal authorization from an emergency security cabinet session Sunday night to retaliate in a way of their choosing against Hezbollah.
Israeli media has on Monday said that Hezbollah has begun moving around its precision-guided missiles while bracing for an imminent major response. Israeli ministers are still signaling it will remain 'limited' though other sources have warned that all-out war in Lebanon is coming.
But in southern Lebanon, preparations appear underway:
An official with a Lebanese group told The Associated Press on Monday that Hezbollah’s stance has not changed, and that the Iran-backed organization does not want a full-blown war with Israel, but that if war breaks out it will fight without limits.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive activities, said Hezbollah since Sunday has started moving some of its “smart precision-guided missiles” to use if needed.
It has been ten months of consistent tit-for-tat rocket and drone fire along Israel's northern border going back to Oct.7, but so far each side has waged a 'limited' war which has not spread to the rest of Lebanon.
That could very quickly change as the Netanyahu government is under pressure from Israeli members of parliament to strike a significant military blow, also as over 80,000 Israeli citizens still remain evacuated from their homes, with no restoration of a stable security situation in sight.
Netanyahu said of the victims of the Majdal Shams attack while visiting the scene, "These children are our children, the children of all of us. Israel will not and cannot let this pass and carry on as usual. Our response is coming, and it will be severe."
The village is made up of Druze who consider themselves Syrian citizens and reject Israeli domination; however, Israel considers the settlements their own citizens.
Trump has meanwhile claimed that this escalation spiral wouldn't be happening if he were in office as Commander-in-Chief...
Trump: “I condemn the evil attack on Israel 🇮🇱. Hezbollah launched an Iranian missile, killing a dozen children playing soccer. This tragedy is the result of the weak Biden and Harris administration. Hezbollah and Iran wouldn't have dared to do this if I were president.” pic.twitter.com/czDIWumIBF
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) July 28, 2024
According to fresh reporting in the NY Times, "Israeli analysts said Hezbollah was most likely aiming at a nearby army base on Mount Hermon and did not intentionally target the village." The report added: "But the group’s use of inaccurate rockets in an area dotted with civilian communities led to the kind of unintended consequence that risks sparking an all-out war, they said."
