Israel Readies War on Hezbollah, Blames Group for Airstrike Killing 12 in Occupied Golan Heights

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is indicating a full-scale war on Hezbollah after the country accused the Lebanese group of a deadly airstrike in the occupied Golan Heights on 27 July.

“We are nearing the moment in which we face an all-out war,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israeli Channel 12. “There is no doubt that Hezbollah has crossed all the red lines here, and the response will reflect that.”

The airstrike, which occurred in the Druze neighborhood of Majdal Shams, fell on a public football field where children and teenagers were playing — killing 12 Druze youths aged 10 to 20.

Hezbollah denied Israel’s accusations shortly after the airstrike, reversing the blame on Israel.

“Hezbollah affirms that it has no connection to the incident whatsoever and emphatically denies all false claims in this regard,” an official statement reads. “Ghaleb Saif, head of the Druze Initiative, stated that the missiles that fell on the Syrian Golan and Galilee were Israeli interceptor missiles.”

A Druze eyewitness interviewed by Turkish state media Anadolu Agency highlighted that Israel’s warning siren sounded seconds before the impact. The eyewitness also remarked that a real rocket would have caused more damage and that authorities collected all shrapnel evidence from the site.

Despite Hezbollah’s denial and eyewitness reports questioning the source of the rocket, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue to claim that the airstrike was launched from southern Lebanon, near the village of Chebaa.

At the airstrike site, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that the victims were Israeli Druze citizens and that the military would respond decisively. An analyst for Israel’s Channel 12 could be heard in the background of the coverage whispering that they are not citizens of Israel.

The Druze are an Arab and Arab-speaking religious group with beliefs separate from Islam. They are located as minorities in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and territories occupied by Israel.

Despite Israel’s government showing support for the Druze community after the attack, nationality laws have marginalized Druze and other minorities — placing them as second-class citizens compared to Israeli Jews.

The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has condemned the attack, with a spokesperson informing news company Al Arabiya that it would offer Israel “iron-clad” support against all entities, including Hezbollah.

The threat of a region-wide war, which includes Hezbollah, has been a cause of concern for several governments — including Egypt — over the past months.

Despite Israel’s unrelenting and escalating violence in Gaza and regional war looming, ceasefire talks between the state and Hamas remain ongoing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has emphasized that no agreement will be made until Hamas is eliminated.

Israeli citizens have taken to the streets several times, most recently on 27 July, protesting the Netanyahu administration to end further conflict and finalize a hostage exchange agreement.

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