Eleven children and teenagers killed, many seriously injured by Hezbollah rocket that hit a soccer field in a Druze village in the Golan

This is an evolving story.

At least eleven children and young people between the ages of 10 and 20 were killed and dozens more seriously injured on Saturday evening when a rocket fired by Hezbollah hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights.

According to the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services, large rescue teams, including ambulances and helicopters, were dispatched to the Druze village of Majdal Shams. At least eleven children were seriously injured in the attack and died within a few hours.

In addition, Ziv Hospital in Safed said that 32 injured people had been admitted at around 10 p.m., of whom 6 were in serious condition, 13 were in moderate to serious condition and 10 had sustained minor injuries. Several others were being treated for shock.

In total, at least 40 people were killed or injured in the attack. This made it by far the most serious incident on Israel’s northern front and the event with the most civilian casualties in the war so far.

Paramedic Idan Avshalom said: “We arrived at a football field and saw destruction, burning objects. Injured people were lying on the grass, very difficult scenes. We immediately started sorting out the injured, some of the injured were taken to local hospitals and our teams were also sent there.”

“There were additional alarms during the incident and medical treatment of the victims is still ongoing,” he added.

Majdal Shams is located about 6 kilometers from the Lebanese border. Its residents were not evacuated, unlike tens of thousands of residents in towns closer to the border.

The Israel Defense Forces later said troops and helicopters were assisting with rescue and evacuation efforts in the city.

An Israeli official told media that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being kept informed of the details of the incident and was currently holding security consultations.

Netanyahu was still in the United States after extending his stay to Meet former US President Donald Trump in Florida. This made his stay in the US over the weekend necessary, but Israeli politicians do not normally travel during the Jewish Sabbath.

Israeli media reported that the prime minister’s team would decide whether to return to Israel on the Sabbath after an upcoming phone call with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Following criticism that he had not decided to return to Israel immediately in light of the worst incidents since the war began, Netanyahu’s office announced that he would return sooner.

“Immediately after the disaster became known, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that his return to Israel be brought forward as soon as possible,” the prime minister’s office said.

After initial meetings of the army leadership, the Israeli army announced that it was preparing for a strong response to the attack. The army also pointed out that the rocket used in the attack was allegedly a particularly heavy type and that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) would investigate why it could not be intercepted.

The Israeli military also stressed that the shooting down was carried out by Hezbollah, according to available intelligence. However, in a rare statement of its kind earlier in the evening, the Lebanese terror group denied any involvement in the incident.

“Hezbollah is behind the launch of the rocket that hit the football field in Majdal Shams this evening, causing many casualties, all of them civilians, including children,” the IDF said.

The deadly rocket was part of several major attacks targeting the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights on Saturday afternoon. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 12 separate attacks during the day, more than its daily average in recent weeks.

The first salvo of about 30 rockets aimed at the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights was partially intercepted, the IDF said.

Later, another rocket attack was carried out on the Neve Ativ area, with about ten rockets hitting open areas before the fatal rocket was fired at Majdal Shams.

According to Lebanese reports, the heavy rocket attacks followed an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon in which four elite soldiers from Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces were killed.

IDF soldiers from the 869th Field Reconnaissance Battalion reportedly observed a terrorist entering a military compound near Kafr Kila, which included an ammunition depot, and ordered IAF fighter jets to attack the building.

Hezbollah had previously launched two drones towards Yiftah and fired two rockets at Shtula. The attacks resulted in no injuries or material damage.