Foreign politicians seek de-escalation after attack on Golan Heights

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Foreign politicians and diplomats sought to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah on Sunday after a deadly rocket attack from Lebanon on Israeli-held territory sparked fears of an all-out war.

Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum vowed fierce retaliation for the deaths of 12 civilians, mostly children, on Saturday when a rocket hit a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a town in the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel directly blamed Hezbollah, with whom it has been engaged in almost daily firefights since the Gaza war broke out last October. Hezbollah has denied responsibility.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Hezbollah, which he described as Iran’s proxy, “is behind the attack and cannot hide it despite its ridiculous denials.”

“They will pay a heavy price for their actions,” Gallant added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened his security cabinet and military leadership to decide on the next response.

Several of Israel’s Western allies strongly condemned the attack and spoke out in support of the Jewish state, but at the same time called for restraint.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed Israel’s “right to defend its citizens and our determination to ensure that they are able to do so.”

However, he added that US government officials also “do not want an escalation of the conflict”.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told CBS on Sunday that Iran and its proxies are “the real evil in this area,” but added that he believes no one wants a major war.

“I hope there will be steps to de-escalate,” he said.

The White House National Security Council said it would “continue to support efforts to end these horrific attacks along the Blue Line,” meaning the Israeli-Lebanese border. “Our support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering against all Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah.”

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the attack and said Britain was “deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation and destabilisation”.

“We have made it clear that Hezbollah must stop its attacks,” he added.

The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it called for “everything to be done to prevent a new military escalation and will continue to work with the parties to this end.”

The Lebanese government on Saturday condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against civilians” and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts,” without mentioning Majdal Shams by name. In a statement, it stressed that “attacks against civilians are a blatant violation of international law and contradict the principles of humanity.”

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned Israel on Sunday against any “new adventures” in Lebanon and against “igniting the fire of war in the region.”

International envoys criticized the attack on Majdal Shams and called for an end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

“I call on everyone to exercise the greatest possible restraint,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. “The Middle East is on the brink; the world and the region cannot afford another open conflict.”

The United Nations’ senior diplomatic and peacekeeping envoys in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Aroldo Lázaro, also condemned the loss of life in Majdal Shams and called for “maximum restraint”.

“The ongoing, intensified exchanges of fire … could spark a larger conflagration that would plunge the entire region into unimaginable disaster,” they added.

Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington and Adrienne Klasa in Paris