Mijdal Shams Attack; Germany Urges Iran to Prevent Escalation of Tensions

A spokesperson for the German government said on Monday that the German government urges all parties involved in the Middle East conflict, especially Iran, to prevent escalation of tensions following last week's missile attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that resulted in the deaths of 12 children and teenagers. After a deadly Iranian missile struck a football field in northern Israel, which Israeli officials blame on Hezbollah, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a 'strong warning' to Israel on Sunday, August 7. Nasser Kanani stated that 'any foolish action' by Israel 'could pave the way for the expansion of instability, insecurity, and the outbreak of war in the region, in which case the aforementioned regime will be definitively and primarily responsible for the consequences and unforeseen reactions of such foolish behavior.' This reaction comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who left Washington for his country, blamed Hezbollah for the attack and warned that the group would pay a heavy price for it. The Israeli military reported that the latest casualty figures from the rocket attack on a football field in the village of Mijdal Shams were 12 dead. Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Israeli security cabinet has given Netanyahu's government the authority to determine 'how and when' to respond to the rocket attack in the Golan Heights. Both Israel and the United States have pointed fingers at Hezbollah regarding this incident. However, Hezbollah has not accepted responsibility for the attack on Mijdal Shams, which is considered the deadliest attack on Israel or Israeli-occupied territories since October 7. Israel has promised retaliatory attacks against Hezbollah, and Israeli jets targeted sites in southern Lebanon on Sunday. Following the Israeli security cabinet meeting held in Tel Aviv, a broader response from Israel is expected. Netanyahu's office announced after the meeting that 'the cabinet has given the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense the authority to decide on how and when to respond.' Meanwhile, on Monday, it was announced that flights to Beirut Airport had been canceled or delayed due to escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Various airlines, including Middle East Airlines (MEA) of Lebanon, Turkish Airlines, SunExpress, Aegean Airlines, and Ethiopian Airlines, have canceled their flights to Beirut. Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon's only airport, has previously been targeted during the civil war and previous conflicts with Israel. Since the onset of the Gaza war, exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army have increased, disrupting flights and maritime transport across the region. A senior Israeli military and security official told Reuters on Monday, August 8, that the country wants to deliver a painful response to Hezbollah but not at a level that would lead to a widespread war. This high-ranking Israeli military official, who requested anonymity, stated that the country does not seek a full-scale war. Two other Israeli officials who spoke with the news agency on Monday added that their country is preparing for the possibility of a type of conflict with Hezbollah that could last several days. Israeli media reported that the army and security agencies have advised remaining Israeli residents in parts of northern Israel to show maximum vigilance and minimize movement. On the other hand, the White House also emphasized on Sunday that the deadly rocket attack on the village of Mijdal Shams in the Golan Heights was carried out by Hezbollah and that the U.S. is negotiating with Lebanese and Israeli officials regarding this matter. In a statement released by the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council on Sunday, August 7, this attack was described as 'horrific.' Adrienne Watson stated in her statement that the rocket that struck the Druze village of Mijdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights was launched from a 'controlled area' of Hezbollah in Lebanon, an Iran-backed group. On Saturday, as a result of a rocket hitting a football field in this village, 12 people were killed, most of whom Israel claims were children. The spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council called for international condemnation of this attack and reported that the United States is working to find a diplomatic solution along the 'Blue Line' at the Lebanon-Israel border to end these attacks 'once and for all.' The Druze residents of Mijdal Shams held funeral services for the victims of the rocket attack on Sunday. Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State emphasized Israel's right to defend its citizens, stating, 'We do not want to see an escalation of the conflict. We do not want the conflict to expand.' Antony Blinken, who was in Tokyo, Japan, stated that achieving a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza war could help calm the situation at the Lebanon-Israel border. Despite the efforts of mediators including the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt to finalize a ceasefire between Israel and the extremist group Hamas, no agreement has yet been reached. The U.S. and the European Union designate Hamas as a terrorist organization. A new round of negotiations to end the Gaza war and free Israeli hostages has begun in Rome, Italy. However, according to published reports, the head of Mossad, who represents Israel in the ceasefire negotiations, has returned to Israel from Rome, and negotiations are expected to resume in the coming days. Concurrently, Lebanon has called for an international investigation into the rocket attack on the Golan Heights. The Lebanese Foreign Minister stated on Sunday that he requests the international community to initiate investigations in this regard or to form a tripartite committee involving Lebanon, Israel, and UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping forces, to negotiate about this incident. The Lebanese government condemned the attack on civilians on Saturday. Israel claims that the rocket that hit the village of Mijdal Shams was 'made in Iran' and was fired from an area in northern Shebaa in Lebanon. Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli army, stated early Sunday that the rocket that struck this football field was 'an Iranian Falaq1 rocket with a warhead of over 50 kilograms of explosives.' Hezbollah is one of the main proxy groups of the Islamic Republic in the Middle East, and following Hamas's attack on Israeli soil on October 7 last year, which led to a large-scale military assault by Israel on the Gaza Strip, the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has continued almost uninterrupted along the borders of the two countries for about the past nine months. However, tensions have escalated in recent weeks with missile and drone attacks and mutual threats from both sides. While the Israeli army announced that its air force attacked several Hezbollah-related targets in Lebanon early Sunday, AFP reported that the militia group had evacuated some of its positions. The news agency quoted an anonymous source close to Hezbollah on Sunday, stating that the group had evacuated positions in southern and also Bekaa in eastern Lebanon for fear of Israeli retaliatory attacks. Yoav Gallant, Israel's Minister of Defense, promised that the country would deliver 'a severe blow to the enemy.' Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, also cut short his trip to the U.S. following the rocket attack on the Golan Heights and returned to Israel. He held an emergency cabinet meeting on Sunday to decide on Israel's response to this attack. Mr. Netanyahu had also held a special remote meeting with senior military and security officials regarding this event before leaving Washington, promising to exact a heavy price from Hezbollah. Israeli sources say that the country's retaliatory attack on Lebanon is 'inevitable.' Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday described Israel's retaliatory actions against the attack on the Golan as 'a precursor to the expansion of instability, insecurity, and the outbreak of war in the region.'