GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War – Day 295

The Tipping Point

Rocket Attack Kills 11

In what could be the moment that starts the war on Hezbollah, a rocket strike on a soccer field killed 11 and wounded 10 more. We get more details on this from a report from The Jerusalem Post:

Following a direct hit in the area of Majdal Shams, a large Druze town, on Saturday evening, eleven were killed, among them children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 20. At least 19 were wounded to varying degrees, including six seriously injured, three moderately, and 10 lightly injured, including those suffering from anxiety attacks.

They were transported to hospitals by Magen David Adom teams and IDF helicopters, MDA said in a statement. Following the direct hit in Majdal Shams, about 100 doses and blood components were provided to hospitals, MDA stated. MDA has asked the public to donate blood during the week.

The rocket hit a soccer field near a playground.

The IDF is pointing the finger at Hezbollah although the terrorist group is denying they shot it:

According to an IDF situational assessment and IDF intelligence, the rocket launch toward Majdal Shams was carried out by Hezbollah. A senior official from Hezbollah, Mohammad Afif, told Reuters on Saturday that the group was not responsible for the strike, although later IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the terror organization was lying.

From the analysis of the IDF's operational systems, the rocket launch was carried out from an area located north of the village of Chebaa in southern Lebanon.

First responders were met with a terrible scene:

Upon arrival at the scene, senior MDA medic Idan Avshalom stated, "We arrived at the soccer field and saw destruction and items on fire. Victims were lying on the grass, and the scenes were difficult. We immediately began triaging the injured. Some of the injured were taken to local clinics, and our teams were directed to those clinics as well. During the incident, there were additional alerts, and medical treatment for the injured is still ongoing."

The IDF are currently still assessing the attack:

The Chief of the General Staff, Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Northern Command's Commanding Officer, the Operations Directorate Head, the Israel Air Force Head, and other members of the General Staff Forum are currently conducting a situational assessment of the incident.

Locally there are steps being taken:

In addition, the Education Ministry in the North opened a situation room to assess the events, accompanied by the authorities, families, and school personnel.

Alarms were activated in the Majdal Shams area in the Northern Galilee at 6:18 p.m.

Reactions After The Attack

Those affected in the region are both expressing sorrow and anger:

Moshe Davidovitch, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of the Confrontation Line Forum, responded to the incident, "I share the sorrow of the leadership of the Majdal Shams local council over the tragic harm to innocent residents and send speedy recovery wishes to the injured."

Some are upset that more hasn’t already been done:

"I am outraged! It seems that until the rockets land in Caesarea, the Prime Minister and cabinet members will continue their policy of ignoring the north. I call on the government to wake up from its slumber and act immediately!" he declared.

The rocket also spread debris in the area as well. Local authorities are continuing to investigating whether there still dangers from it:

The Israel Police reported that they are dealing with a number of scenes where shrapnel fell in the North of the Golan directly after initial reports of the incident.

Police and Northern District police detectives isolated the crash scene and are searching for additional remains to remove further risk to the public.

This attack was particularly heinous, but the residents of the area are seeing more and more of them:

The residents of several localities in Northern Galilee were told to stay near shelters, including in Nimrod, Neve Ativ, Odem, El-Rom, Merom Golan, Ein Zivan, Ortal, Sha'al, Qela Alon, and Ramat Trump Heights, according to military guidelines, following several barrages of rockets. Additionally, Wast Junction and Brown Junction in the area are closed to vehicle traffic.

In the most recent barrage of rockets since the hit in Majdal Shams, 100 rockets were reportedly fired, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen network.

Did Hezbollah mean to hit the soccer field? Did it go off course? They are certainly sending a lot of them now:

Earlier, a barrage of rockets was fired Saturday evening toward Neve Ativ at 5:55 p.m., which included approximately 10 projectiles from Lebanon, the IDF reported. All projectiles fell in open areas and there were no injuries reported.

At 5:24 p.m., approximately 30 rockets were seen crossing from Lebanon into Israel, and alarms were activated in Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Margaliot, and across the Northern Galilee. In this instance, the IDF Aerial Defense Array intercepted numerous projectiles, and the rest fell in open areas. In this instance, also no injuries were reported.

Apparently after the IDF took out four Hezbollah leaders the barrage of rockets followed:

The shooting was carried out in response to the elimination of four Radwan force operatives in southern Lebanon Saturday evening, Ynet reported. These operatives included Naeem Ali Farhat and Ahmad Hikmat Musa from the Al-Bekaa region in northeastern Lebanon, Mohammed Ali Mustafa Merish from Beirut, and Hassan Al-Halal Al-Saidi from the town of Toul in southern Lebanon, Ynet reported, citing Hezbollah.

The terrorist organization is losing a great deal of soldiers since October 7th:

This brings the total number of the organization's fatalities since the start of the war to 383.

All Out War Threatened

Israeli President Israel Katz publicly responded to the deadly assault as we learn in an article from CBN.com:

Israel claims Hezbollah rockets scored a direct hit on a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights Saturday, killing at least ten people, including children and teenagers who were playing on the field. As many as 30 people were injured.

Katz didn’t mince words at all:

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Channel 12 News "There is no doubt that Hezbollah crossed all red lines" in the attack. He added, "Israel faces all-out war."

With Prime Minister Netanyahu still in the United States, during the Sabbath, the Israeli president took to the airways in his stead. He and the PM are communicating, though:

Katz said he has spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is still in the U.S. because of plans to return to Israel after the Jewish Sabbath.

The people living in the area are in shock:

The Druze are a religious sect that believes in elements of Islam, Hinduism and Greek philosophy. They are Arabic-speaking, and most are not Israeli citizens, although some serve in the Israel Defense Forces and others serve in the government.

The Druze spiritual leader, Sheikh Muafak Tarif said in a statement, "It’s impossible to image and describe the horrific images of children and their smashed (body) parts strewn on the grass."

Tarif echoed Katz when he added this:

He continued, “A proper country cannot allow itself the continued harming of its citizens and residents. This is the ongoing reality for nine months in northern communities. This evening crossed all possible lines.”

The Prime Minister wants answers as one would expect:

Netanyahu ordered a situational assessment of the attack and is expected to leave the United States early.

Katz defiantly stated that war plans are next:

Katz cautioned, "We will pay a price on both the front and the home front, but by the end of the war, Nasrallah and Hezbollah will be crushed, and Lebanon will suffer severely. We will restore peace and security to the northern communities. I have instructed the Foreign Ministry to prepare for a comprehensive campaign worldwide to gain legitimacy for action in Lebanon."

Netanyahu was not totally silent, though as we hear from an article from The Times Of Israel:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he was “shocked” to see the attack by Hezbollah on Majdal Shams. “Among the murdered were small children who were playing soccer,” he says in a video statement, “and others were also other murdered. Our hearts are all broken by these sights.” “We embrace the families, embrace the entire Druze community in its difficult time, which is also our difficult time,” he says.

Netanyahu pledges that Israel will “not let this pass in silence.”

Is this bombing of a playground the last straw in the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah? It certainly sounds like it.