Netanyahu vows ‘harsh’ response following missile strike on Golan Heights that killed 12 minors

In the early hours of Monday morning, a large security deployment announced a high-level visit to Majdal Shams. This locality in the Syrian Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967, was on Saturday the scene of the death of 12 minors in a missile strike for which the Israeli authorities blame Hezbollah. “Our response will come, and it will be harsh,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced while visiting the town. Frequency jammers, dogs scouring the area around the attack site, Israeli agents in civilian clothes and uniforms... Shortly after 1 p.m., Netanyahu’s motorcade entered the sports complex. “War criminal. We don’t want you here,” a woman shouted.

The tension then escalated. The sports facilities have been closed off. Thus, the presence of the Netanyahu became invisible to the press and to the protesting residents. More shouts were heard in Hebrew and Arabic: “Coward!” ‘Liar!’ and ‘War criminal,’ a phrase some of those present had written on placards to hold up in the air.

Many were crowded in front of the metal fences guarded by Israeli policemen, who prevented people from approaching the soccer field where the missile struck. Security teams had even set up corridors with white cloth-lined fences and several tents to shield Netanyahu from the eyes of the local population. The decibels of their screams and anger increased as the minutes ticked by. After almost an hour at the site and having laid a wreath at the point of impact — as reported by the press service of his office — the prime minister left. The departure of the motorcade was met with shouts of “Out, out!” while protestors clapped their hands in the air.

It was then that the anger of residents was unleashed. A group of some 300 people, almost all wearing the black of mourning, advanced towards the soccer field having removing the fences, in a clear gesture of wishing to reinstate the kind of sanctuary they have turned the scene of the children’s death into, and they considered sullied by the visit of the Israeli prime minister. Elisar, 26, held a piece of paper in his hands that read: “War criminals are not welcome here.” In tears, he explained that they don’t want Netanyahu because “he is killing thousands of children in Gaza. We don’t want his nationality or his oppressive policies here.” Only about 20% of the 11,000 residents of Majdal Shams have Israeli citizenship. Despite more than five decades having passed since the Israeli occupation of a territory internationally recognized as part of Syria, many locals still consider themselves Syrians.

In the background, the shouts continued and the tension increased. A delegation of Israeli personalities was forced by the demonstrators to leave, when they had barely arrived at the site of the attack. Some residents shouted at the Israeli military and police officers to leave. They took their presence, once the head of the Israeli government had left, as nothing more than a provocation. In tears, a woman picked one of the scooters left at the scene of the tragedy off the ground.

Netanyahu declared, through a statement released by his office, that he had made the visit to express his “deep solidarity and shock at the atrocity that took place here. This is a terrible tragedy.” Netanyahu blamed Hezbollah and Iran, which supports the Lebanese militia. “These children are our children; they are all the children of all of us” added Netanyahu, who among others was accompanied by the head of the Shin Bet internal secret services, Ronen Bar. The statement added that the prime minister conveyed his sincere condolences to all the families, although some did not agree to participate in the visit, as confirmed to EL PAÍS.

The town of some 11,000 inhabitants is still in shock and mourning after what residents consider the worst tragedy since the Yom Kippur War in 1973, which took place six years after Israel occupied the Golan Heights. In the meantime, Israel is measuring its response to this latest attack. The Security Cabinet, which met on Sunday, gave Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant the go-ahead to proceed. For the time being, exchanges of attacks from both sides of the border between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continue at the routine pace of recent months.

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