Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah will “pay a hefty price” after a rocket strike on a football pitch in a town in the occupied Golan Heights killed 11 children and young adults, according to the Israeli authorities. Israel said dozens more were injured in the blast.
The Israel Defense Forces said a rocket fired by the Lebanon-based militant group fell on the Druze town of Majdal Shams. Hezbollah has denied the claim.
Benjamin Netanyahu ended a visit to the US early and returned to Israel to deal with the crisis. Hard right members of his government are calling for war against Hezbollah. The attack has the potential to trigger an all-out conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, whose forces have regularly exchanged fire since the outbreak of war in Gaza.
Jane Hill presents BBC News reporting by Mark Lowen and Paul Adams.
