Israel: Deadly Hezbollah Attack Conducted Using Iranian 'Falq 1' Rockets

Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli army, announced at a press conference from a children's soccer field that was the site of a deadly Hezbollah attack that the assault was carried out using Iranian-made 'Falq 1' rockets. According to him, the rocket is 'Iranian and made in Iran, carrying a warhead of 50 kilograms of explosives.' The Israeli army spokesperson stated that the Falq 1 rocket is only used by Hezbollah and was fired from the Shebaa area in southern Lebanon toward Israel. Hagari added that the number of fatalities from this rocket attack has risen to 12. He emphasized earlier that Hezbollah was responsible for this attack and that all 12 Israeli citizens killed were children and teenagers aged 10 to 20. He stated that the victims were targeted while playing soccer. He described the Hezbollah attack as a 'serious incident' and added that Israel would respond 'appropriately.' In the first official reaction from the U.S. government to the deadly Hezbollah attack in northern Israel, which has so far left 12 dead and over 30 injured, a spokesperson for the National Security Council condemned the 'horrific' attack in a statement. He said, 'Our commitment to Israel's security against terrorist groups supported by the Islamic Republic, including Hezbollah, is ironclad and unwavering.' Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, expressed condolences in a phone call with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, regarding the deaths of children and innocents due to the Hezbollah attack. Netanyahu made it clear in this call that Israel would not simply overlook this attack and that Hezbollah would pay a heavy price for it that it has not yet paid. Netanyahu, who is still in the United States after a speech in Congress and meetings with American officials, moved his return flight from 11 PM to 7:30 PM on Saturday. Israel Katz, the Foreign Minister, stated that Hezbollah has 'crossed all red lines' with this action. In an interview with the Times of Israel, he clarified that Hezbollah's attack is not an action of one army against another but rather an attack by a terrorist organization of the Iranian regime against civilians and children. Katz warned that Israel is 'approaching the moment of all-out war against Hezbollah and Lebanon.' He promised that Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah would be destroyed in this war and that Lebanon would suffer severe damages. Katz added that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is engaged in an international campaign to 'gain international support and legitimacy for action in Lebanon and directly [pointing] the finger at Iran.' He urged the international community to impose heavy sanctions against Hezbollah before it is too late. Yoav Gallant, the Israeli Defense Minister, after holding an assessment meeting on the deadly Hezbollah attack with Israeli military and intelligence officials, including Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and Mossad head David Barnea, reviewed options for responding to Hezbollah. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced without providing details about this meeting: 'Gallant set the guidelines and issued appropriate orders to the defense establishment.' Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, in response to Hezbollah's deadly rocket fire against Israeli civilians, stated that this attack was carried out at the order of the Iranian regime. He called the 'terrible and shocking' attack by Hezbollah on 'Majdal Shams' 'heartbreaking' and added that no words can comfort the families of the victims in this Druze region in northern Israel. Herzog added that Hezbollah, which is financially and militarily supported by the Islamic Republic, does not distinguish between children and adults, soldiers and civilians, Jews and Muslims, Druze and Christians. The President of Israel emphasized that the world should not remain silent in the face of the terrorist attack by Hassan Nasrallah, which was carried out at the order of the 'Iranian evil empire,' and that the Israeli government will firmly defend its citizens and sovereignty. Yair Lapid, the leader of the Israeli opposition, while expressing sympathy for the victims of the deadly Hezbollah attack, stated that the situation in northern Israel cannot continue as it is and added that Netanyahu should be in Israel during such times. The Times of Israel also reported, citing Israeli officials, that the country's response to the deadly Hezbollah attack would be 'very aggressive.' Israeli rescuers are seen transferring one of the injured from the deadly Hezbollah attack to Majdal Shams in northern Israel, which has left 12 dead and over 30 injured. On Saturday, August 6, 1403, the Times of Israel, citing an Israeli official, added that the Majdal Shams disaster could indicate a 'turning point in the war.' This is the deadliest attack by Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group, on Israel in recent years. Images and videos published on social media show a multitude of rescuers and Israeli citizens at the soccer field where the attack occurred. Hezbollah Lebanon, which had previously admitted to firing 100 rockets into northern Israel, claimed after the rise in casualties among Israeli citizens that it had no connection to this deadly attack. The soccer field targeted by Hezbollah's deadly rocket attack is located in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights of Israel. According to Israeli media reports, the majority of the victims of this Hezbollah attack are children aged 10 to 20 and from the Arabic-speaking 'Druze' minority. The condition of the injured from this Hezbollah attack is reported to be serious. The Israeli army announced that following Hezbollah's attacks on northern Israel, especially the Majdal Shams area, 'the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, and the commander of the Northern Command, Major General Uri Gordin... are assessing the situation.' The Jerusalem Post also reported the interception and destruction of two Hezbollah drones by the Israeli army. Hezbollah's rocket attack, the main proxy arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran, against children and civilians in northern Israel follows a deadly Israeli attack on the group's militants that resulted in the deaths of 4 senior Hezbollah members. Just one day after the terrorist attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 15 of last year, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in over 250 others, including women and children, being taken hostage, Hezbollah unilaterally began its missile and drone attacks on residential areas in northern Israel. The Israeli army has also targeted the positions of this Iranian proxy group in Lebanon and Syria in response to Hezbollah's cross-border attacks, killing nearly 400 members, including many of its senior commanders. Israel has stated that nearly 80,000 citizens living in northern areas of the country have been displaced due to Hezbollah's attacks. So far, U.S. diplomatic efforts to push Hezbollah back across the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the shared border with Israel, based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, have failed. Israeli officials have warned that if a diplomatic solution to end the fighting on the shared border with Lebanon is not found and Hezbollah does not cease its cross-border attacks against Israel by retreating from border areas, they will do whatever is necessary to defend the citizens of this country. Decision-making regarding war with Hezbollah is one of the important reasons for Netanyahu's trip to Washington; explanations by Hassan Hashemian, a commander of the Israeli army, indicated the country's readiness for a decisive attack against Hezbollah Lebanon. Biden emphasized the ironclad U.S. commitment to Israel's security against the threats of the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups. Israeli fighter jets attacked 'two military warehouses' of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.