KATHMANDU: Israel launched airstrikes on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon on Sunday in response to a missile attack from Lebanon that killed 12 people at a football field in the Golan Heights. The Israeli forces struck what it characterized as Hezbollah weapons depots and infrastructure. However, the response fell short of the ferocity of the retaliation that had been warned following the attack, which killed largely teenagers and small children.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned early from his trip to the US to inform his security Cabinet and evaluate the situation. The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, expressed sympathy for the victims of the Majdal Shams bombing and promised that the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, would pay a price. Netanyahu has earlier pledged to impose harsh penalties on Hezbollah for the strike.
Speaking from Japan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed regret for the victims' deaths and reiterated claims that Hezbollah was responsible for the rocket attack. Although the United States suspects Hezbollah is behind the strike, the attack's motivation is still unknown and could have been an accident, according to a senior U.S. official.
