The U.S. Condemns 'Horrific' Attack on Israel; White House: Our Commitment to Israel's Security is Unwavering

In the first official response from the U.S. government to the deadly Hezbollah attack on northern Israel that left at least 11 dead and over 30 injured, a spokesperson for the National Security Council at the White House condemned the attack as 'horrific.' He stated, 'Our commitment to Israel's security against terrorist groups supported by the Islamic Republic, including Hezbollah, is ironclad and unwavering.' Netanyahu: Hezbollah Will Pay a Heavy Price Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed condolences in a phone call with Sheikh Muwafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, for the deaths of children and innocents due to the Hezbollah attack. Netanyahu emphasized that Israel will not simply overlook this attack and that Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for it, one that they have not yet paid. Netanyahu, who is still in the United States after speaking at Congress and meeting with American officials, moved his return flight from 11 PM to 7:30 PM on Saturday. Katz: We Are Approaching Total War 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 the Hezbollah attack is not an action of 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 total war against Hezbollah and Lebanon.' He promised that Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah will be destroyed in this war and that Lebanon will 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 point the finger at Iran.' He urged the international community to impose heavy sanctions against Hezbollah before it is too late. Issuing Appropriate Orders to the Army Yoav Galant, the Israeli Defense Minister, after holding an assessment meeting regarding the deadly Hezbollah attack with Israeli military and intelligence officials, including Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff, Ronen Bar, head of Shin Bet, and David Barnea, head of Mossad, reviewed options for responding to Hezbollah. The Israeli Defense Ministry announced without providing details about this meeting: 'Galant set the directives and issued appropriate orders to the defense establishment.' Herzog: Ordered by the Iranian Regime Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, in response to the deadly rocket fire from Hezbollah against Israeli civilians, stated that this attack was ordered by the Iranian regime. He described the 'horrific and shocking disaster' of the Hezbollah attack 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 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 behest of the 'Iranian Empire of Evil,' and that the Israeli government will firmly defend its citizens and sovereignty. Change of Direction in War Daniel Hagari, a 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 the deadly Hezbollah attack to Majdal Shams in northern Israel, which left 11 dead and over 30 injured. Saturday, August 6, 1403. Yair Lapid, the leader of the Israeli opposition, expressed sympathy for the victims of the deadly Hezbollah attack, stating that the situation in northern Israel cannot continue as it is and added that Netanyahu should be in Israel at such times. The Times of Israel also reported, citing Israeli officials, that the country's response to the deadly Hezbollah attack will be 'very aggressive.' The Times of Israel quoted an Israeli official as saying that the tragedy in Majdal Shams could indicate a 'change of direction 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 published on social media show a large number of rescuers and Israeli citizens on the football field where the attack took place. Hezbollah Lebanon, which had earlier 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, the majority of the victims of this Hezbollah attack are children aged 10 to 20 and 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, especially 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 Gordon... are assessing the situation.' A gathering of rescuers, security forces, and Israeli citizens at the children's football field in Majdal Shams, which 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. The Hezbollah rocket attack, the main proxy arm of the Islamic Republic of Iran, against children and civilians in northern Israel follows Israel's deadly attack on the group's militants on Saturday, which resulted in the deaths of 4 senior Hezbollah members. Just one day after the terrorist attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7 last year, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took more than 250 others, including women and children, 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 heavily targeting this proxy group's positions in Lebanon and Syria, 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 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 failed. Israeli officials have warned that if a diplomatic solution to end the conflicts along 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 main reasons for Netanyahu's trip to Washington; explanations by Hassan Hashemian. The commander of the Israeli army announced the country's readiness for a decisive attack against Hezbollah Lebanon. Biden emphasized the U.S.'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.