Lebanon called on Sunday for an international investigation into a strike that killed 12 people, including children, in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights. The Lebanese government warned against large-scale retaliation in the wake of the deadly incident.
The Israeli military reported that an Iranian-made rocket, fired by Hezbollah on Saturday, struck a football field in Majdal Shams, a Druze Arab town. The attack resulted in the deaths of children and teenagers playing on the field.
However, Hezbollah denied involvement in the Majdal Shams strike, claiming it had “no connection” to the incident, despite having launched multiple attacks on Israeli military positions throughout the day.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib called on X for an “international investigation or a meeting of the tripartite committee held through UNIFIL to get to the truth” about the responsible party. The tripartite committee includes military officials from Lebanon and Israel, which are technically at war, along with peacekeepers from UNIFIL.
Bou Habib suggested that the strike might have been “executed by other organizations or resulted from an error by Israel or Hezbollah.” He emphasized that Hezbollah targets only military positions” and would not intentionally attack civilians in Majdal Shams.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry, in a statement carried by the Lebanese National News Agency, urged for the full and comprehensive implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
This resolution, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, mandates that the Lebanese Army and UN peacekeepers be the only armed forces in southern Lebanon.
Bou Habib warned that any large-scale Israeli attack on Lebanon could escalate the regional situation, potentially sparking a regional war.
In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed to “hit the enemy hard” following the Majdal Shams strike.
Concurrently, Iran has cautioned Israel that any new military “adventures” in Lebanon could lead to “unforeseen consequences.”
With AFP
