Eleven children and young people died and 19 were injured after a rocket hit the football field where they were playing in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israeli authorities said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a rocket fired by the powerful Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fell on the Druze town of Majdal Shams – a claim denied by the group.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised retaliation against Hezbollah, saying it “will pay a heavy price.”
The incident has the potential to trigger an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, whose forces have been exchanging fire regularly since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October.
These exchanges have 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 has denied responsibility for the attack, and the BBC is trying to verify reports that the militant group told the United Nations that the blast was caused by an Israeli interceptor rocket.
Israeli authorities said all those killed were between 10 and 20 years old.
Verified video shows crowds on a football field and stretchers being carried to waiting ambulances.
Majdal Shams is one of four villages in the Golan Heights, home to around 25,000 members of the Arabic-speaking Druze religious and ethnic group.
Before reports emerged about the impact of the attack, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for four other attacks.
One of them was at the military headquarters of the Hermon Brigade, on the slopes of Mount Hermon, which is on the border between Israel and Lebanon. The base is about 3 km 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 to retaliate.
Although Israel and Hezbollah regularly exchange fire and have both suffered casualties since October, both sides have refrained from actions that could escalate into a wider war in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting the US, is returning home early.
In an angry statement, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, leader of the Druze community in Israel, said the “horrific massacre” crossed “all possible red lines.”
“A proper State cannot allow continued harm to its citizens and residents. This has been the constant reality in northern communities for the past nine months,” she added.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israel’s Channel 12 news channel: “We are facing an all-out war.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the incident a “terrible and shocking disaster” and said that “the State of Israel will firmly defend its citizens and its sovereignty.”
Lebanon’s government also issued a rare statement in response, saying it “condemns all acts 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 added.
The US and EU also condemned the attack.
Most Druze live in northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria. In Israel, they have full citizenship rights and represent about 1.5% of the population.
They were offered Israeli citizenship when the Golan Heights were annexed to Syria in 1981, but only a minority accepted.
Most maintained an allegiance to Syria. Druze in the Golan can still study and work in Israel, although only those with citizenship can vote and Druze men are required to serve in the army.
The Druze are the largest non-Jewish group serving in the IDF.
The vast majority of the international community does not recognize Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights.
