A security source told Israeli media on Saturday night that there will be a “different response” to the Hezbollah rocket attack earlier in the day that left 11 children dead and dozens of others wounded, including 17 critically injuries, in the Druze village of Majdal Shams.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his “deep horror at the murder of the children and innocents by Hezbollah” in a phone conversation with Druze leader Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, and expressed “heartfelt condolences in the name of all Israel” to the families of the victims and the community.
Netanyahu also made clear that Israel “will not allow the murderous attack to simply pass on by … Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for this that it has not paid to this point,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“The dire consequences of Hezbollah’s firing allow Israel to act in a way it did not have the legitimacy to act until now,” said the source quoted by Israel’s Channel 12 News.
“Israel has so far been careful and has limited itself in terms of targets, distances from the Israeli border, and the degree of aggressiveness.” Nevertheless, Saturday’s attack may not be enough to unleash a full IDF response.
Unsurprisingly, the Biden Administration expressed deep concerns the attack could finally be the spark that ignites an all-out war between Israel and Lebanon’s Iranian proxy.
“What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months,” an administration official said.
The response will be powerful, but “we don’t intend to spark a war” with Hezbollah, said an Israeli security source quoted by Sky News Arabic.
