Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed consequences for Hezbollah after a rocket attack killed 12 children and wounded dozens more on Saturday.
Netanyahu cut short his trip in the U.S. and immediately began traveling back to Israel following Saturday’s attack. A Hezbollah rocket struck a soccer field in northern Israel as children on the field – located in a Druze community in northern Israel – were running toward a bomb shelter.
“Citizens of Israel, like you, I was horrified. I was horrified to see the terrible images following Hezbollah’s murderous attack on Majdal Shams,” Netanyahu said in a statement in Hebrew. “Among the victims were young children playing soccer, along with other victims. Our hearts are all broken by these scenes.
“We embrace the families, and we embrace the entire Druze community in this difficult moment, which is also our difficult moment,” he added.
“Since I was informed of the disaster, I have been holding continuous security consultations and [began] to expedite our return to the country. I will convene the security cabinet immediately upon my arrival,” Netanyahu continued.
“I can say that the State of Israel will not remain silent. We will not let this go unanswered,” he vowed.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, together with the IDF’s Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, conducted a situational assessment on the attack on Saturday.
The IDF said approximately 30 projectiles were identified crossing into Israel from Lebanon on Saturday.
According to Israeli Channel 12, the country’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on a TV news show, “We are approaching the moment of an all-out war in the north against Hezbollah, we will react in a disproportionate way,” he reportedly said in a translated note on X by Israeli journalists Ben Caspit and Dafna Liel.
Earlier this month, Yakkov Amidror, the former national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, discussed with Fox News Digital the likelihood of an imminent full-blown war between the Jewish state and the Lebanon-based terrorist movement Hezbollah.
Saturday evening, the Biden White House issued a statement condemning the strike and reaffirming President Biden’s support for Israeli security.
“We condemn this horrific attack that reportedly killed a number of teenagers and children playing soccer on a Saturday evening in the village of Majdal Shams in northern Israel. Our hearts go out to the families of those who lost loved ones today, and we are praying for a speedy recovery for those who have been injured,” the White House said. “Israel continues to face severe threats to its security, as the world saw today, and the United States will continue to support efforts to end these terrible attacks along the Blue Line, which must be a top priority. Our support for Israel’s security is iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah.”
Fox News’ Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report
