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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/majdal-shams-claims-and-counterclaims-deadly-attack">middleeasteye.net</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Golan Heights attack: The claims and counterclaims on Majdal Shams strike</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">By MEE staff</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">July 29, 2024<br></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><p>On Saturday, an explosive slammed into a football pitch in the Golan Heights' Majdal Shams, killing 12 children.</p>
<p>The apparent attack ratcheted up tensions between <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel" target="_blank">Israel</a>, which occupies the Golan, and <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/lebanon" target="_blank">Lebanon's</a>
Hezbollah, which began clashing with the Israeli military along the
Lebanese border in October in solidarity with Hamas and the <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/palestine" target="_blank">Palestinians</a> under <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-war-gaza" target="_blank">attack in Gaza</a>.</p>
<p>Though the slain children were not Israeli citizens - Druze that live
in the occupied Syrian territory tend not to take Israeli citizenship -
Israel has blamed Hezbollah and insisted that it will retaliate in
Lebanon.</p>
<p>Hezbollah denies it was responsible, saying the children were killed
instead by a misfired Israeli Iron Dome air-defence missile.</p>
<p>Middle East Eye breaks down the claims and counter-claims on the incident in Majdal Shams.</p>
<h3>Israel's claims</h3>
<p>Israel has brought forward what it says is <a href="https://x.com/IDF/status/1817610808844816517" target="_blank">evidence </a>to
prove that an Iranian-made rocket struck the children. Iran is a key
backer of Hezbollah, which is the most powerful non-state military power
in the world.</p>
<p>On Sunday, the Israeli army posted <a href="https://x.com/manniefabian/status/1817605374310072385?s=46&t=ELaDRa2feSkdnjH2Asc8Yg" target="_blank">pictures </a>that show shrapnel, which it said were found at the scene of the attack and matched an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-druze-fighting-gaza-horrifies-lebanon" target="_blank"><img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/styles/read_more/public/images-story/Israel-druze-soldier-funeral-beit-jann-afp.jpg.webp?itok=dNKKJ5AX" width="394" height="246" alt="" class="gmail-moz-reader-block-img" style="margin-right: 0px;"></a></p><p><font size="1">Sight of Israeli Druze fighting in Gaza horrifies Lebanon's community</font></p>
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<p>However, none of the images appear to have been taken of the alleged rocket shrapnel in situ at the blast site.</p>
<p>The Israeli army also <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-airs-images-it-says-prove-hezbollah-fired-deadly-rocket-that-hit-majdal-shams/" target="_blank">published </a>a map showing what it said was path of the rocket, claiming it was launched from southeast Lebanon's Shebaa Farms area.</p>
<p>Yet, these claims were refuted by an anonymous Israeli paramedic, who told <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUQy6epd1_Q" target="_blank">al-Araby</a> TV that witnesses told him the shrapnel belonged to an Israeli Iron Dome missile. </p>
<p>The paramedic, who was reportedly wearing a Star of David shirt, said
he would be “imprisoned” if he documented his testimony on air. Middle
East Eye was not able to independently verify the claims.</p>
<p>Other witnesses who spoke to al-Araby on condition of anonymity said
they saw the rocket flying from Mount Hermon on the Lebanon-Syrian
border falling towards the football field.</p>
<p><a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/did-an-israeli-iron-dome-missile-cause-the-majdal-shams-mass" target="_blank">Al-Mayadeen</a>,
a Lebanese media outlet with close ties to Hezbollah, published an
article saying the blast site in Majdal Shams was not consistent with
the kind expected after the impact of a Falaq-1 rocket, which it said
would have made a larger crater.</p>
<p>Hezbollah had earlier on Saturday claimed responsibility for four other attacks before Majdal Shams was struck.</p>
<h3>'Could be a mistake'</h3>
<p>Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib was quoted as telling the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w172zcx1rq7rnwx" target="_blank">BBC </a>that he doesn’t think Hezbollah carried out the attack.</p>
<p>“I don’t think Hezbollah would do it… it could be a mistake by the Israelis or by Hezbollah - I don’t know,” he said.</p>
<div>
<p>War on Gaza: Majority in UK, Italy and Spain back ICC warrant against Israel's Netanyahu</p>
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<p>Bouhabib noted that that the movement usually targets military positions, not civilians.</p>
<p>"We are talking with Hezbollah because the victims are Druze and the
Druze community here [in Lebanon] cares about them a lot. We are asking
Hezbollah not to retaliate at this present time,” Bouhabib told the BBC.</p>
<p>In the aftermath of the Majdal Shams strike, Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari incorrectly <a href="https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1817577569408971013" target="_blank">identified </a>the victims as Israeli citizens, and was heard being corrected by a journalist present at the briefing.</p>
<p>Majdal Shams is a village located the southern Golan, where about
25,000 Arabic-speaking Druze live. The majority are Syrian members of
the Druze community.</p>
<p>The town has been under Israeli occupation since 1967.</p>
<h3>Netanyahu met with protest</h3>
<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to arrange a meeting for him with the victims' families, who refused, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-07-28/ty-article-live/u-s-condemns-horrific-attack-reportedly-highly-concerned-over-all-out-war/00000190-f724-d469-a39d-f7b7cff70000?liveBlogItemId=1155256767#1155256767" target="_blank">Haaretz </a>reported.</p>
<p>As Netanyahu visited the site on Monday, a<a href="https://x.com/OrenZiv_/status/1817867362009600183" target="_blank"> protest</a>
was organised where demonstrators were seen carrying signs that read:
“Down to the killers of the children… a war criminal”, in reference to
the war on Gaza.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://x.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1817607448967995835" target="_blank">video </a>on
Sunday showed Syrian Druze from Majdal Shams preventing Israeli
ministers from attending the funeral of the children who were killed in
the attack. One person shouted: “Get out of here, you criminal, we don’t
want you in the Golan.”</p>
<p>Netanyahu has pledged a response to the attack and said the Hezbollah will "pay a heavy price".</p>
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