A strike from Lebanon killed 12 youths. Could that spark war between Israel and Hezbollah?

BY MELANIE LIDMAN AND SAMY MAGDY
Updated 7:03 AM EDT, July 28, 2024

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Middle East was bracing for a potential flare-up in violence on Sunday after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens in what the military said was the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. The strike raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which denied a role in the attack.

Overnight, the Israeli military said it struck a number of targets inside Lebanon, though the intensity of the strikes was similar to months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

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What happened?
On Saturday just before sunset, a rocket slammed into a soccer pitch where dozens of children and teens were playing in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, which is located about 12 kilometers (7 miles) south of Lebanon and next to the Syrian border. Twelve young people between the ages of 10 and 20 were killed, and 20 were wounded, according to the Israeli military.

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What could this mean for Lebanon and for a wider war?
The attacks on the Israel-Lebanon border have simmered just below the threshold of an all-out war since the start of the conflict in October. But the deadly toll of the attack, and the young age of the victims, could push Israel to respond more severely.

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