Foreign officials race to de-escalate tensions after Golan Heights attack

Foreign politicians and diplomats sought to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Hizbollah on Sunday after a deadly rocket attack from Lebanon into Israeli-occupied territory raised fears of a full-blown war.

Israeli leaders across the political spectrum vowed to retaliate forcefully for the deaths of 12 civilians, mostly children, who were killed when a rocket slammed into a football pitch in Majdal Shams, a town in the occupied Golan Heights, on Saturday.

Israel directly blamed Hizbollah, with whom it has been exchanging near-daily fire since the outbreak of the Gaza war last October. Hizbollah has denied responsibility.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that Hizbollah, which he described as an Iranian proxy, “was behind the attack and they cannot hide it, despite their ridiculous denials”.

“They will bear a heavy price for their actions,” Gallant added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his security cabinet and military chiefs on Sunday to decide on how to respond. The cabinet authorized both the prime minister and Gallant to decide on the manner and timing of the response against Hezbollah. 

Several of Israel’s western allies strongly condemned the attack and came out in support of the Jewish state, while at the same time urging restraint.

Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo on Sunday, US secretary of state Antony Blinken highlighted Israel’s “right to defend its citizens and our determination to make sure that they’re able to do that”.

However, he added that US officials “also don’t want to see the conflict escalate”.

Chuck Schumer, the US Senate majority leader, told CBS that Iran, through its surrogates, was “really the real evil in this area”, but added that he did not think anyone wanted a wider war.

“I hope there are moves to de-escalate,” he said.

The White House’s National Security Council said the attack was conducted by “Lebanese” Hizbollah and that its “support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats” including Hizbollah.

But the White House also said the US was “working on a diplomatic solution . . . that will end all attacks once and for all, and allow citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes”.

David Lammy, UK foreign secretary, condemned the strike and said the UK was “deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation and destabilisation”.

“We have been clear Hizbollah must cease their attacks,” he added.

The French foreign ministry said in a statement that it “calls for everything to be done to avoid a new military escalation and will continue to work with the parties to this end”.

Diplomats and government officials in Lebanon scrambled to help prevent the prospect of an all-out war in the wake of the incident.

“We’re trying to remind all parties involved of the potential cost of an escalation following the attack on Majdal Shams,” said one western diplomat.

Lebanon asked Washington to exert pressure on Israel to exercise restraint, the country’s foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib told regional broadcaster al-Hadath. “And they asked us also that Hizbollah exercise restraint. This is being worked on from both sides because the US doesn’t want a war between . . . Lebanon and Israel.”

The Lebanese government on Saturday condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against all civilians”, without naming Majdal Shams, and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts”. In a statement, it stressed that targeting civilians was “a flagrant violation of international law and contradicts the principles of humanity”.

Egypt warned of “the dangers of opening a new war front in Lebanon . . . which could lead to the region sliding into a comprehensive regional war”.

Iran warned Israel on Sunday against any “new adventure” in Lebanon. “Any reckless actions by the Zionist regime could lead to expansion of instability, insecurity and the outbreak of war in the region”, said Nasser Kanaani, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, adding that Israel would be “responsible for any unforeseen consequences”.

International envoys criticised the attack on Majdal Shams and called for a halt to hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah.

“I urge all to exercise maximum restraint,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN special co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process. “The Middle East is on the brink; the world and the region cannot afford another open conflict.”

The senior UN diplomatic and peacekeeping envoys to Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Aroldo Lázaro, also condemned the loss of life and urged “maximum restraint.”

“The ongoing intensified exchanges of fire . . . could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief,” they added.

Additional reporting by James Politi in Washington, Adrienne Klasa in Paris, Raya Jalabi in Beirut, Heba Saleh in Cairo and Najmeh Bozorgmehr in Tehran