Hezbollah on high alert after deadly Majdal Shams attack as US urges de-escalation
Iranian proxy clears out some of its key sites ahead of expected Israeli retaliation; Blinken stands by Israel’s right to defense, but says Gaza ceasefire best way to end clashes
Hezbollah on Sunday was preparing for an expected Israeli retaliation after the Lebanese terror group fired a rocket that killed 12 children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, as the US called for both sides to de-escalate the conflict.
Two security sources told Reuters that Hezbollah had preemptively cleared out some key sites in both Lebanon’s south and the eastern Bekaa Valley in preparation for a possible attack by Israel.
The Lebanese government has asked the United States to urge restraint from Israel following the deadly strike, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Reuters.
Bou Habib said the US had asked the Lebanese government to pass on a message to Hezbollah to show restraint as well.
Israeli leaders from across the political spectrum called for a swift and harsh response against Hezbollah after an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket struck a soccer field Saturday in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, killing 12 children and wounding dozens.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there is “every indication” that the rocket that hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams was fired by Hezbollah, while the terror group denied responsibility.
“We stand by Israel’s right to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks,” Blinken said.
The secretary stressed that a ceasefire in Gaza was the best way to end the fighting in the north.
“One of the reasons that we’re continuing to work so hard for a ceasefire in Gaza is not just for Gaza,” he said, “but also so that we can [advance] an opportunity to bring calm, lasting calm, across the blue line between Israel and Lebanon. We’re determined to bring the Gaza conflict to a close. It’s gone on for far too long. It’s cost far too many lives.”
“It’s so important that we help defuse that conflict,” said Blinken, “not only prevent it from escalating, prevent it from spreading, but to defuse it because you so many people in both countries, in both Israel and Lebanon, who’ve been displaced from their homes.”
Blinken said that the Biden administration is “in conversations” with Israel, emphasizing again Israel’s right to defend its citizens and America’s “determination to make sure they are able to do that” without the conflict spreading.
“The best way to do that in a sustained way is to get that ceasefire in Gaza that we’re working so hard on virtually every minute of the day,” he said.
International community condemns ‘horrific’ attack
UK Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters, meanwhile, said the strike was “especially horrific that the target was children playing football.”
“Our hearts go to all the families of all of those who were killed or injured, and to the entire Druze population,” he wrote on X.
The Hizballah attack on Majd Al-Shams is terrible. It is especially horrific that the target was children playing football. Our hearts go to all the families of all of those who were killed or injured, and to the entire Druze population.
— Simon Walters (@simonwaltersuk) July 28, 2024
“It is appalling that children and young people who simply wanted to play football were killed. My condolences to their families,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on X.
“For months, Israeli citizens have been under fire from Hezbollah and other extremists. The perfidious attacks must stop immediately. It is important to act with cool heads. Far too many people have died already in this conflict,” Baerbock added.
“France condemns in the strongest terms the particularly fatal attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights,” France’s Foreign Ministry said, calling for “everything to be done to avoid a new military escalation.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly expressed horror at the rocket attack and conveyed condolences to the Druze community in a statement.
“We reiterate our demand that Iran and its affiliated terrorist groups refrain from destabilizing actions in the Middle East. We remain gravely concerned about the prospect of further escalation across the region,” she said.
My statement below on the attacks in Majdal Shams: pic.twitter.com/gwG3ELvaES
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) July 28, 2024
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also “unequivocally” condemned the rocket attack and urged de-escalation in the region.
“The leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand made clear on 26 July the grave concerns we hold about further escalation and destabilizing actions in the Middle East. We demanded Iran and its affiliated groups, including Hizballah, cease their attacks,” she said, adding there was an urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Australia unequivocally condemns the strike on the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams.
My thoughts are with those killed, those injured and their loved ones.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) July 28, 2024
Norway’s embassy in Lebanon urged its citizens to leave the country amid the spiraling tensions, reiterating existing travel warnings.
“The conflict between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel has escalated,” the embassy said in an Arabic-language social media post. “Norwegian authorities remind you of travel guidelines that encourage all Norwegian citizens to leave the country. In case the situation worsens, travel options outside Lebanon may become limited. In such a situation, the Norwegian Embassy will have very limited resources to assist Norwegian citizens in leaving the country.”
Since October 8 of last year, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
The attack on Majdal Shams came amid what appeared to be a crucial point in negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a hostage-ceasefire deal in Gaza, following Israeli advances in battle.
As of Saturday, skirmishes with Hezbollah have resulted in 24 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 18 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 381 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 68 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
