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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 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, whom 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 has convened his security cabinet and military chiefs to decide on how to respond.
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 on Sunday that Iran, through its surrogates, was “really the real evil in this area”, but added that he did not think anyone wants a wider war.
“I hope there are moves to de-escalate,” he said.
The White House’s National Security Council said it would “continue to support efforts to end these terrible attacks along the Blue Line,” referring to the Israel-Lebanon border. “Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iranian backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hizbollah.”
David Lammy, Britain’s 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 on Sunday 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.”
The Lebanese government on Saturday condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against all civilians” and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts”, without naming Majdal Shams. In a statement, it stressed that “targeting civilians is a flagrant violation of international law and contradicts the principles of humanity”.
Iran’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, on Sunday warned Israel against any “new adventures” in Lebanon and igniting “the fire of war in the region”.
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 in Majdal Shams 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 and Adrienne Klasa in Paris