A rocket strike on Saturday at a soccer field killed at least 11 children and teens, according to Israeli authorities, marking the deadliest attack on an Israeli target along the northern border since hostilities began between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. This incident has heightened concerns of a broader regional conflict.

Israel has attributed the strike in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights to Hezbollah, although Hezbollah has denied involvement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Hezbollah “will pay a heavy price for this attack, one that it has not paid so far.”

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, labeled it the deadliest assault on Israeli civilians since the Hamas attack on October 7, which initiated the war in Gaza. He reported that 20 others were wounded in the strike.

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

Over 39000 Killed in Israel-Hamas War: Hezbollah’s chief spokesman, Mohammed Afif, told The Associated Press that the group “categorically denies carrying out an attack on Majdal Shams.” It is uncommon for Hezbollah to deny responsibility for an attack. The rocket strike at the soccer field, which occurred just before sunset, followed earlier cross-border violence on Saturday. Hezbollah reported that three of its fighters were killed, though they did not specify the location. The Israeli military stated that its air force targeted a Hezbollah arms depot in the border village of Kfar Kila, noting that militants were present at the time.

Hezbollah claimed its fighters conducted 10 different attacks using rockets and explosive drones against Israeli military posts. The final attack targeted the army command of the Haramoun Brigade in Maaleh Golani with Katyusha rockets. In a separate statement, Hezbollah mentioned hitting the same army post with a short-range Falaq rocket. These attacks, according to Hezbollah, were in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on villages in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu shortens trip, convenes security

Over 39000 Killed in Israel-Hamas War: Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office, while he was on a visit to the United States, announced that he would shorten his trip by several hours without specifying his return time. Upon his return, he is set to convene the security Cabinet.

Members of Netanyahu’s far-right government have called for a strong response against Hezbollah. However, engaging in an all-out war with a militant group that possesses significantly greater firepower than Hamas would be challenging for Israel’s military, which has been engaged in nearly ten months of fighting in Gaza.

Footage broadcasted on Israeli Channel 12 showed a significant explosion in a valley within the Druze town of Majdal Shams, located in the Golan Heights. Israel captured this area from Syria during the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Some Druze residents hold Israeli citizenship, though many still sympathize with Syria and opposed the Israeli annexation, despite their growing ties with Israeli society over the years.

Video clips showed paramedics quickly moving stretchers from the soccer field to waiting ambulances. Ha’il Mahmoud, a local resident, told Channel 12 that children were playing soccer when the rocket struck. He mentioned that a siren sounded moments before the impact, but there was no time to seek shelter.

Over 39000 Killed in Israel-Hamas War: Jihan Sfadi, the principal of an elementary school, told Channel 12 that five of the deceased were students: “The situation here is very difficult. Parents are crying, people are screaming outside. No one can digest what has happened.”

The Israeli military reported that its analysis indicated the rocket was launched from an area north of the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon.

The White House National Security Council stated that the U.S. “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.”

U.S. intelligence officials are certain that Hezbollah carried out the attack on the Golan Heights, although it is unclear whether the militant group intended to hit that specific target or if it misfired, according to a source who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Lebanon’s government, without mentioning Majdal Shams, called for an “immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts” and condemned all attacks on civilians.

Since October 8, a day after Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire. Recently, the conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border has intensified, with Israeli airstrikes and Hezbollah’s rocket and drone attacks reaching deeper and farther from the border.

The Israeli military noted that Majdal Shams had not been included among the border communities ordered to evacuate as tensions escalated, without explaining why. The town is not directly on the border with Lebanon.

Diplomatic efforts by officials from the U.S. and France to ease the tensions in Lebanon have not succeeded. Hezbollah has stated it will not cease fire as long as Israel’s offensive in Gaza continues. Israel and Hezbollah previously fought an inconclusive war in 2006.

Saturday’s violence occurs as Israel and Hamas consider a cease-fire proposal to end the nearly 10-month war in Gaza and secure the release of approximately 110 hostages still held there. Hamas’ attack on October 7 resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 250 hostages taken. Israel’s offensive has led to over 39,000 deaths, according to local health authorities.

Since early October, Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed over 450 people, primarily Hezbollah members, but also around 90 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 44 people have been killed, including at least 21 soldiers.