ISRAEL HAS VOWED to “hit the enemy hard” after rocket fire which hit the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights killed 12 people. Israel has blamed the Lebanese Hezbollah group, but they have said that they had “no connection” with the incident.

Iran, a significant ally of Hezbollah, has warned Israel that a ground response to the attack could have “unforeseen consequences”.

Amid fears that a response could lead to a wider regional conflict, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint”.

In a statement, the Israeli government authorised “the prime minister and the defence minister to decide on the manner and timing of the response against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”.

Hezbollah have denied any involvement in the rocket attack. The group consistently claim responsibility for attacks that they carry out on Israeli positions, and reported launching 12 separate strikes on Saturday.

The group has said that what hit the area was an Israeli anti-rocket interceptor projectile.

While Israel launched a number of strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday, a response to the attack on Majdal Shams has yet to be formulated.

Hezbollah’s has said that it’s rocket attacks into Israel are in support of Palestinian fighters in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where an Israeli offensive has killed at least 39,324 people, mostly civilians.

A strike on a school in Gaza where almost 4,000 Palestinians were sheltering on Saturday killed 30 people and injured 100 more.

Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah has said that if a ceasefire was reached in Gaza, his movement would stop cross-border attacks.

Egyptian state-linked media said talks on a ceasefire in Gaza were to take place Sunday in Rome.

With reporting from © AFP 2024.