Netanyahu: Israel Will Not Simply Overlook This Attack, Hezbollah Will Pay a Heavy Price

Following a deadly rocket attack by Hezbollah on a children's football field in northern Israel that left at least 11 dead and over 30 injured, Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences to Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, for the deaths of children and innocent Druze as a result of the Hezbollah attack. Netanyahu stated during this phone call that Israel will not simply overlook this attack and that Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for it, which they have 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, said that Hezbollah has crossed 'all red lines' with this action. In an interview with the Times of Israel, he clarified that the Hezbollah attack is not an army against another army 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 support and international legitimacy for action in Lebanon and directly pointing the finger at Iran.' He urged the international community to impose heavy sanctions on Hezbollah before it is too late. Yoav Gallant, Israel's Defense Minister, after holding an assessment meeting regarding Hezbollah's deadly attack with Israeli military and intelligence officials, including Herzi Halevi, the Chief of Staff, Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, and David Barnea, the head of Mossad, reviewed response options to Hezbollah. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced without providing details about this meeting that 'Gallant set the guidelines and gave necessary 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 on the orders of the Iranian regime. He described the 'terrible and shocking' attack by Hezbollah on 'Majdal Shams' as '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 differentiate between children and adults, soldiers and civilians, Jews and Muslims, Druze and Christians. The President emphasized that the world should not remain silent in the face of the terrorist attack by Hassan Nasrallah, which was carried out on the orders of the 'Iranian Empire of Evil,' and that the Israeli government will firmly defend its citizens and sovereignty. Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli army, also emphasized in a press conference that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack and that all 11 Israeli citizens killed were children and teenagers aged 10 to 20. According to him, the victims were targeted by a Hezbollah rocket while playing football. He called this Hezbollah attack a 'serious incident' and added that Israel will respond 'appropriately' to it. Israeli rescuers are transferring one of the injured from Hezbollah's deadly attack to Majdal Shams in northern Israel, which left 11 dead and over 30 injured. On Saturday, August 6, 1403, Yair Lapid, the leader of the Israeli opposition, expressed sympathy for the victims of Hezbollah's deadly attack, stating 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 Hezbollah's deadly attack will be 'very aggressive.' The Times of Israel quoted an Israeli official stating that the tragedy in Majdal Shams could indicate a 'turning point in the war.' This is the deadliest attack by Hezbollah, a group supported by the Islamic Republic, on Israel in recent years. Images and videos shared on social media show a multitude of rescuers and Israeli citizens at the football field where the attack occurred. Hezbollah Lebanon, which had previously admitted to firing 100 rockets at northern Israel, claimed after the increase in casualties among Israeli citizens that it had no connection to this deadly attack. The football 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 from the Arab-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, particularly in 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.' A gathering of rescuers, security forces, and Israeli citizens is seen at the children's football field in Majdal Shams that was targeted by Hezbollah's deadly rocket attack. 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 on Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of four senior Hezbollah members. Just one day after the terrorist attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 last year, during which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and over 250 others, including women and children, were taken hostage, Hezbollah unilaterally began its missile and drone attacks on residential areas in northern Israel. The Israeli army also responded to Hezbollah's cross-border attacks by targeting the positions of this Iranian proxy group in Lebanon and Syria, killing nearly 400 members, including many of its senior commanders. Israel has stated that nearly 80,000 citizens living in the northern regions of the country have been displaced from their homes due to Hezbollah's attacks. So far, American diplomatic efforts to push Hezbollah back across the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the shared border of Israel and Lebanon based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, have been unsuccessful. Israeli officials have warned that if a diplomatic solution is not found to end the conflicts at the shared border with Lebanon and if Hezbollah does not cease its cross-border attacks against Israel by retreating from border areas, they will do whatever is necessary to defend their citizens. The decision-making regarding war with Hezbollah is one of the main reasons for Netanyahu's trip to Washington; explanations from Hassan Hashemian, a commander of the Israeli army, indicated the country's readiness for a decisive attack against Hezbollah Lebanon. Biden emphasized America's ironclad 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.