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On 27 July 2024, a rocket attack hit the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights. The rockets directly struck a local soccer field, killing 11 teenagers and young adults, all aged between 10 and 20. At least 34 people were injured. Dozens of others with injuries ranging in severity were transported to hospitals by Magen David Adom teams and IDF helicopters.

The attack occurred amid broader regional tensions, as Hezbollah, supported by Iran, began launching rockets at northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and subsequent Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, sparking a renewed Israel–Hezbollah conflict. Since October, 90,000 Lebanese civilians and 60,000 Israeli civilians have been displaced.

Background

Following Hamas' October 7 attack, Hezbollah joined the conflict the next day, launching guided rockets and drone attacks at Israeli communities and military installations in Galilee and the Golan Heights. This Israel–Hezbollah conflict has displaced entire communities in Israel and Lebanon, with significant damage to buildings and land along the border. As of 5 July 2024, Israel reports having killed approximately 366 Hezbollah operatives with over 100 Lebanese civilians confirmed killed. According to the UN, over 90,000 people in Lebanon have been forced to flee their homes, while in Israel, 60,000 civilians have evacuated. Israel and Hezbollah have maintained their attacks at a level that causes significant harm without escalating into a full-scale war.

Hezbollah employed advanced Iranian-origin missiles, including the Falaq-1 rocket system, in its attacks against Israel. In response to a similar attack in June, which injured civilians on a soccer field in the Druze town of Hurfeish, Israel targeted military sites deep within Lebanon.

Before the attack, Hezbollah took responsibility for a rocket attack near the town in retaliation for the killing of four Hezbollah operatives earlier in the village of Kafr Kila.

Attack

At 6:18 pm, alarms sounded in Majdal Shams. According to the Hezbollah-affiliated news channel Al-Mayadeen, the militant group fired 100 rockets. A rocket then hit a soccer field in the town, located near a playground. According to initial reports, eleven people were wounded, with five in critical condition and six in serious condition. Emergency services, including Magen David Adom (MDA), treated the critically injured, aged between 10 to 20, some of whom were transferred to local clinics. A senior MDA paramedic described the scene as one of destruction with victims lying on the grass.

A senior Hezbollah official, Mohammad Afif, said that the group was not responsible for the attack on Majdal Shams. The IDF stated that their assessment and intelligence confirm Hezbollah was responsible for the rocket attack.

Israeli authorities have characterized it as the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since the October 7 attacks. Israeli Police and Northern District detectives secured the crash site and conducting a search for additional remains to eliminate any further risk to the public.

Analysis

Daniel Sobelman from Harvard Kennedy School highlighted that the strike was "the most serious in Israel in nine months of fighting between the country and militants in Lebanon."

Responses

Domestic

•  Israel: Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared that the attack has crossed all red lines and warned of a potential full-scale war with Hezbollah and Lebanon. He stated that while the conflict will come at a significant cost, the goal is to decisively defeat Hezbollah and restore peace, and he has directed the Foreign Ministry to prepare a global campaign to support actions in Lebanon. President Isaac Herzog condemned the attack as a "terrible and shocking disaster". He described the attack as a brutal act targeting children who were simply playing soccer, stating, "They did not return." Herzog urged the international community to not remain silent against Hezbollah's actions, which he linked to Iranian influence, asserting that Israel would "firmly defend its citizens and its sovereignty."
  •  Druze in Israel: Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, condemned the attack, stating: "We are in great shock from the horrific massacre in the Druze village, an atrocious and murderous terrorist attack that struck innocent children playing soccer. The sight of the children's shattered bodies strewn across the grass is indescribable." He further stated, "a civilized country cannot allow the continuous harm to its citizens and residents."

International

•  Lebanon: The government of Lebanon issued a statement urging "immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts" and condemned attacks on civilians but did not mention Majdal Shams.
  •  Hezbollah: Hezbollah claimed it carried out nine attacks using rockets and suicide drones against IDF targets including Maaleh Golani in response to Israeli airstrikes but denied Majdal Shams was targeted.

See also

• Iranian influence in Lebanon
• UNSC Resolution 1701

References

1. ^ "Nine children killed in rocket fire in Majdal Shams, Hezbollah denies responsibility". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
2. ^ "Rocket attack on town in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights kills 10, rescue official says". AP News. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
3. "Missile hit in Majdal Shams kills nine, injures at least 34 including children". Ynetnews. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
4. "Lebanon's militant Hezbollah leader threatens escalation with Israel as its war with Hamas rages on". AP News. 2023-11-03. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
5. "Israel-Hezbollah: Mapping the scale of damage of cross-border attacks". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
6. ^ Keller-Lyne, Carrie (2024-07-27). "Deadly Rocket Strike on Soccer Field Raises Risk of Escalation with Hezbollah". The Wall Street Journal.
7. Ari, Lior Ben (2024-01-28). "'Falaq-1', ATGM: Hezbollah uses new guided anti-tank weaponry, missiles on northern border". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
8. ^ "9 children and teenagers dead from a direct hit on football field in northern Israel". Israel Hayom. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
9. "Israel Media: Nine People Killed as Rocket Hits Football Pitch in Israeli-Occupied Golan". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
10. ^ "Eleven wounded in rocket fire in Majdal Shams area following barrage to north, MDA reports". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
11. ^ "Nine children killed in rocket fire in Majdal Shams, Hezbollah denies responsibility". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
12. ^ Nicholls, Lauren Izso, Catherine (2024-07-27). "At least 11 people injured after projectiles reportedly fired from Lebanon into Israel". CNN. Retrieved 2024-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
13. "Missile hit in Majdal Shams kills nine, injures at least 34 including children". Ynetnews. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
14. Kourdi, Lauren Izso, Catherine Nicholls, Eyad (2024-07-27). "At least 11 people injured after projectiles reportedly fired from Lebanon into Israel". CNN. Retrieved 2024-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. ^ Zitun, Yoav; Halabi, Einav (2024-07-27). "Hezbollah rocket kills 10 children, injures at least 24 in Majdal Shams". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
16. ^ Raine, Lauren Izso, Catherine Nicholls, Eyad Kourdi, Ivana Kottasová, Andrew (2024-07-27). "At least 10 dead including children as Israel blames Hezbollah for rocket attack in Golan Heights". CNN. Retrieved 2024-07-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Current events from July 2024
• 2024 in international relations
• July 2024 events in Syria
• Hezbollah attacks
• Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)
• Spillover of the Israel–Hamas war
• History of the Golan Heights