In a devastating incident on Saturday evening, a rocket strike in the Druze village of Majdal Shams resulted in the deaths of nine individuals, including children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 20. Dozens were wounded to varying degrees and were transported to hospitals by Magen David Adom teams and IDF helicopters, according to a statement by Magen David Adom.
The rocket struck a soccer field near a playground, causing significant destruction. According to an IDF situational assessment and IDF intelligence, the rocket launch toward Majdal Shams was carried out by Hezbollah. However, Mohammad Afif, a senior official from Hezbollah, told Reuters on Saturday that the group was not responsible for the strike.
Upon arrival at the scene, senior MDA medic Idan Avshalom stated, “We arrived at the soccer field and saw destruction and items on fire. Victims were lying on the grass, and the scenes were difficult. We immediately began triaging the injured. Some of the injured were taken to local clinics, and our teams were directed to those clinics as well. During the incident, there were additional alerts, and medical treatment for the injured is still ongoing.”
Situational Assessments and Responses
The Chief of the General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Northern Command’s Commanding Officer, the Operations Directorate Head, the Israel Air Force Head, and other members of the General Staff Forum are currently conducting a situational assessment of the incident.
Additionally, the Education Ministry in the North has opened a situation room to compile a situational picture and support the authorities, families, and educational teams.
Alarms were activated in the Majdal Shams area in the Northern Galilee at 6:18 p.m. Moshe Davidovitch, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of the Confrontation Line Forum, responded to the incident, “I share the sorrow of the leadership of the Majdal Shams local council over the tragic harm to innocent residents and send speedy recovery wishes to the injured.”
“I am outraged! It seems that until the rockets land in Caesarea, the Prime Minister and cabinet members will continue their policy of ignoring the north. I call on the government to wake up from its slumber and act immediately!” he declared.
Police and Emergency Measures
The Israel Police reported that they are dealing with several scenes where shrapnel fell in the North of the Golan following the initial reports of the incident. Police and Northern District police detectives isolated the crash scene and are searching for additional remains to remove further risk to the public.
Heavy Barrages of Rockets to the North
Several localities in Northern Galilee, including Nimrod, Neve Ativ, Odem, El-Rom, Merom Golan, Ein Zivan, Ortal, Sha’al, Qela Alon, and Ramat Trump Heights, were instructed to stay near shelters following multiple rocket barrages. Additionally, Wast Junction and Brown Junction in the area are closed to vehicle traffic.
In the most recent barrage of rockets since the hit in Majdal Shams, 100 rockets were reportedly fired, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network. Earlier, a barrage of rockets was fired Saturday evening toward Neve Ativ at 5:55 p.m., which included approximately 10 projectiles from Lebanon, according to the IDF. All projectiles fell in open areas, and no injuries were reported.
At 5:24 p.m., approximately 30 rockets were seen crossing from Lebanon into Israel, and alarms were activated in Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Margaliot, and across the Northern Galilee. In this instance, the IDF Aerial Defense Array intercepted numerous projectiles, and the rest fell in open areas, with no injuries reported.
Context of the Attack
The shooting was carried out in response to the elimination of four Radwan force operatives in southern Lebanon Saturday evening, according to Ynet. These operatives included Naeem Ali Farhat and Ahmad Hikmat Musa from the Al-Bekaa region in northeastern Lebanon, Mohammed Ali Mustafa Merish from Beirut, and Hassan Al-Halal Al-Saidi from the town of Toul in southern Lebanon. This brings the total number of Hezbollah fatalities since the start of the war to 383.
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