Eleven children and young adults have been killed and 19 others injured after a rocket hit a soccer field where they were playing in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israeli authorities said.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said a rocket fired by the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah hit the Druze town of Majdal Shams, a claim the group denies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against Hezbollah and said it would “pay a high price.”
The incident could lead to an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, whose forces have regularly exchanged fire since the Israel-Gaza war broke out in October.
The fighting has intensified recently, and Saturday’s attack was the deadliest loss of life on Israel’s northern border since the war began on October 7.
Hezbollah spokesman Mohamad Afif denied responsibility for the attack, and the BBC is trying to verify reports that the militant group told the United Nations the explosion was caused by an Israeli interceptor missile.
According to Israeli authorities, all of the victims were between 10 and 20 years old.
Verified video footage shows large groups of people on a football field and stretchers being carried to waiting ambulances.
Majdal Shams is one of four villages in the Golan Heights home to approximately 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking Druze religious and ethnic group.
Before reports of the attack’s impact emerged, Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for four other attacks.
One was at the military headquarters of the Hermon Brigade, on the slopes of Mt Hermon, which lies on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The base is about 3 km (2 miles) from the football field.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari accused Hezbollah of “lying and denying responsibility for the incident.”
“Our intelligence is clear. Hezbollah is responsible for the murder of innocent children,” he said, adding that Israel was preparing for retaliation.
Although Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged frequent fire and both sides have suffered casualties, both sides have refrained since October from actions that could escalate into a broader war in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on a visit to the US, is returning home early.
In an angry statement, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, leader of Israel’s Druze community, said the “horrific massacre” had crossed “every possible red line.”
“A decent state cannot allow its citizens and residents to continue to be harmed. This has been the ongoing reality in the northern communities over the past nine months,” he added.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israel’s Channel 12 news: “We are facing all-out war.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the incident a “terrible and shocking disaster” and said “the State of Israel will vigorously defend its citizens and sovereignty.”
The Lebanese government also issued a rare statement in response, saying it “condemns all forms of violence and aggression against all civilians and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts.”
“Targeting civilians is a flagrant violation of international law and goes against the principles of humanity,” the statement said.
The US and EU have also condemned the attack.
Most Druze live in northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria. In Israel they have full civil rights and make up about 1.5% of the population.
When the Golan Heights were annexed by Syria in 1981, they were offered Israeli citizenship, but only a minority accepted.
Most have maintained their allegiance to Syria. Druze in the Golan can still study and work in Israel, although only those with citizenship are allowed to vote and Druze men are required to serve in the military.
The Druze are the largest non-Jewish group serving in the Israeli military.
The vast majority of the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
