Israel’s Cabinet Allows Retaliation for Deadly Rocket Attack

Israel’s security cabinet has authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defense Minister to decide how and when to retaliate for a deadly rocket attack. Israel and the US say the attack was carried out by Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia militant group.

The cabinet held an emergency meeting after the rocket strike on Saturday evening in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which killed 12 Druze children and teenagers. Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack. This was the deadliest cross-border incident in months of exchanges between the two sides.

Calls for Restraint and Diplomatic Efforts

Western governments are asking Israel to show restraint. The White House said it has been in continuous talks with Israeli and Lebanese officials since the attack in Majdal Shams. They are also working on a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line, the unofficial border between Israel and Lebanon, to stop all attacks.

On Monday morning, an Israeli drone strike near the Lebanese town of Shaqra, about 6.5km from the Israeli border, killed two people. Hezbollah said the dead men were two of its fighters. Israel has not commented on this report.

Air France has suspended flights to and from Beirut, joining Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, and Eurowings, as anticipation of Israeli retaliation grows.

Funerals for the young victims in Majdal Shams took place on Sunday, with thousands of mourners attending. The attack has deeply affected the Druze community, which has lived on the Golan Heights for centuries. About 21,000 Druze live on the Golan Heights, and around 20% have accepted Israeli citizenship.

Netanyahu’s Response

Prime Minister Netanyahu cut short a visit to the US to return to Israel after the strike. He held meetings with defense officials before convening the security cabinet. After the meeting, the prime minister’s office said that the cabinet had given Netanyahu and the Defense Minister the authority to decide how to respond to Hezbollah.

In a condolence call to Sheikh Muafak Ṭarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community, Netanyahu said Hezbollah would “pay a heavy price.”

Hezbollah has denied involvement, blaming the bloodshed on a failed Israeli interceptor missile. However, Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) knew exactly where the rocket was launched from. He identified the rocket as an Iranian-made unguided surface-to-surface Falaq rocket with a 53kg warhead. “This is a Hezbollah rocket. And whoever launches such a rocket into a built-up area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children,” he said.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has increased since Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli positions a day after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7. Hezbollah says it is acting in support of Palestinians.

The situation remains tense as Israel prepares its response, balancing international calls for restraint with national demands for action.