A Rocket Killed 12 Youths On Israel-Controlled Land. Could That Spark A Regional War?

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Middle East braced for a imaginable flare-up successful unit connected Sunday aft Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a shot field successful nan Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, sidesplitting 12 children and teens successful what nan subject called nan deadliest onslaught connected civilians since Oct. 7. It raised fears of a broader location war betwixt Israel and Hezbollah, which successful a uncommon move denied it was responsible.

Overnight, nan Israeli subject said it struck a number of targets wrong Lebanon, though their strength was akin to months of cross-border fighting betwixt Israel and nan Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Hezbollah said it besides carried retired strikes. There were nary contiguous reports of casualties.

Saturday’s onslaught came astatine a delicate time. Israel and Hamas are negotiating a cease-fire connection to extremity nan astir 10-month warfare successful Gaza.

Here is simply a look astatine nan broader repercussions:

What happened?

Thousands be nan ceremonial ceremony for nan 12 youths killed successful a rocket onslaught connected nan Druze municipality of Majdal Shams successful Israeli-occupied Golan Heights connected July 28, 2024. Israel has blamed Hezbollah for nan onslaught and has since launched its ain attacks connected Lebanon, but nan militant group has denied responsibility.

Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

On Saturday, a rocket slammed into a shot transportation wherever dozens of children and teens were playing successful nan Druze municipality of Majdal Shams, astir 12 kilometers (7 miles) southbound of Lebanon and adjacent to nan Syrian border. Twelve younker were killed and 20 others wounded, according to nan Israeli military. One 11-year-old kid was missing, residents told Israeli media.

“I consciousness acheronian wrong and out. Nothing for illustration this happened here,” resident Anan Abu Saleh said. “There’s nary measurement to explicate this. I saw children, I don’t want to opportunity what I saw, but it’s horrible, really horrible. We request much security.” On Sunday, nan coffins passed done a crowd of thousands.

The Druze are a belief sect that began arsenic an offshoot of Shiite Islam. There are Druze communities successful Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. There are astir 140,000 Druze successful Israel, 25,000 successful nan Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, according to Yusri Hazran of nan Hebrew University.

The Druze are considered among Israel’s astir loyal citizens, though those successful nan Golan Heights person a much fraught narration pinch authorities. Israel captured nan Golan, a strategical plateau, from Syria successful nan 1967 Mideast warfare and annexed it successful 1981. Much of nan world organization considers nan area to beryllium occupied territory. While Druze leaders successful nan Golan profess allegiance to Syria, relations pinch Israel are usually good.

What could this mean for a wider war?

People inspect nan rubble of a building connected Friday, July 19, 2024, that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike a nighttime earlier successful nan confederate colony of Jmaijmeh, Lebanon.

Mohammed Zaatari via Associated Press

The attacks connected nan Israel-Lebanon separator person simmered beneath nan period of all-out warfare since nan commencement of nan conflict successful Gaza successful October. But nan deadly toll of Saturday’s attack, and nan victims’ young age, could push Israel to respond much severely.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who hurried location from America aft nan strike, warned that Hezbollah “will salary a dense value for this attack, 1 that it has not paid truthful far.” Israeli military’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said a Falaq rocket pinch a 53-kilogram warhead that belonged to Hezbollah was fired.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that “every indication” showed nan rocket came from Hezbollah. He said Israel had a correct to take sides itself but nan U.S. didn’t want nan conflict to escalate.

Hezbollah began firing rockets astatine Israel nan time aft Hamas’ onslaught connected Oct. 7. Israel has responded by targeting what it says is Hezbollah’s subject infrastructure pinch airstrikes and drones. Most attacks person been confined to separator areas, though Israel has assassinated Hezbollah and Hamas leadership farther northbound successful Lebanon. Tens of thousands of group connected some sides of nan separator person evacuated.

Since early October, Israeli airstrikes successful Lebanon person killed much than 500 people, mostly Hezbollah members but besides astir 90 civilians. On nan Israeli side, 22 soldiers and 24 civilians person been killed.

Hezbollah fighters transportation nan coffin of their comrade who was killed pinch 3 different fighters connected Saturday by an Israeli airstrike successful southbound Lebanon, during their ceremonial convoy successful a confederate suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, July 28, 2024.

Hussein Malla via Associated Press

Hezbollah has acold superior firepower to Hamas. Igniting a warfare successful Israel’s northbound while it’s engaged successful Gaza would overburden nan military, Barak Ben-Zur, a interrogator astatine nan International Institute of Counter-Terrorism, told journalists: “We are not, let’s say, tin to do it successful some places and astatine nan aforesaid time.”

Ben-Zur said nan calamity successful Majdal Shams is simply a statistical inevitability pinch nan Iron Dome rocket defense system: If Hezbollah aliases different groups motorboat capable rockets and missiles, immoderate will get through.

In Lebanon, immoderate prepared for much occurrence from Israel. Lebanon’s nationalist hose announced it had postponed nan Beirut presence of 7 flights until Monday morning, without saying why.

“I uncertainty that location will beryllium a strike, but thing is far-fetched erstwhile it comes to nan enemy,” said Abdallah Dalal, a resident of nan Lebanese separator colony of Chebaa. Israeli officials person said nan rocket that deed Majdal Shams was fired from nearby.

Any conflict could bring successful Iran, which connected Sunday warned Israel that a beardown guidance to nan Golan Heights onslaught will lead to “unprecedented consequences.” Iran and Israel’s yearslong protector warfare burst into nan open successful April, erstwhile Iran launched 300 missiles and drones astatine Israel, astir of which were intercepted, successful consequence to nan sidesplitting of an Iranian general.

How could this effect nan warfare successful Gaza?

A Palestinian boy sits connected nan rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli onslaught successful nan al-Bureij exile campy successful cardinal Gaza connected July 28, 2024.

Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images

An Egyptian charismatic said nan onslaught successful nan Golan Heights could springiness urgency to negotiations to scope a cease-fire woody successful Gaza.

“Both fronts are connected,” he said. “A cease-fire successful Gaza will lead to a cease-fire pinch Hezbollah.” The charismatic said connected information of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk nan delicate talks pinch nan media.

In a statement, nan Egyptian overseas ministry called connected each influential world players to “intervene instantly to spare nan peoples of nan region further disastrous consequences of nan description of nan conflict.”

Officials from nan United States, Egypt and Qatar were gathering Sunday pinch Israeli officials successful Rome successful nan latest push for a cease-fire deal.

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Matt Lee successful Tokyo, Kareem Chehayeb successful Beirut and Sam McNeil successful Sderot, Israel, contributed.

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