A Barrage of Threats Against Lebanon Following the “Golan Incident” – What’s Happening?

Tel Aviv has witnessed a continuous stream of threats directed at Beirut from ministers, military officials, and opposition leaders. The head of the political hierarchy of the occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, said, “Hezbollah will pay a heavy price it has never paid before,” in response to the killing of 11 people in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

While the occupation accuses the Lebanese Hezbollah group of launching a missile that killed and injured more than 30 people in the town of Majdal Shams, the group has categorically denied any involvement in the incident.

In his first comment, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to make Hezbollah pay “a heavy price it has never paid before,” without providing further details.

Since Monday, Netanyahu has been visiting Washington, where he met with President Joe Biden and the Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election, Donald Trump. He also addressed the US House of Representatives.

The Israeli army has also threatened to respond to Hezbollah, with spokesperson Daniel Hagari stating in a press conference, “The Majdal Shams incident is the most severe since October 7, 2023 (the start of the war on Gaza), and we will respond to it.”

The spokesperson claimed the incident was the result of a missile launched by Hezbollah, hitting a football field in the center of Majdal Shams. He added, “We are conducting a joint assessment of the situation, and there is currently no change in the guidelines of the Home Front Command.”

A Torrent of Threats

Ministers in the occupation government and opposition leaders unleashed a torrent of threats. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who resigned from political life, also issued threats against Hezbollah.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated on “X”: “The time for talking is over. We are tired of empty speeches and weak actions. Everyone must decide whether to side with Israel and life or with our enemy and death.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “We will strike Hezbollah wherever we need to strike them.”

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, “Hezbollah has crossed the red lines, and we are nearing a full-scale war with them.”

Yedioth Ahronoth quoted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir saying, “Decision-making bodies have refrained for ten months from recognizing that we are in a battle with Hezbollah,” demanding that Netanyahu immediately launch a war against Hezbollah.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented, “The time for action has come. All of Lebanon must pay the price, and Nasrallah should be assassinated in response to the Majdal Shams attack.”

Energy Minister Eli Cohen said, “Lebanon should burn,” while Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat said, “Israel must change the reality in the north and make Lebanon and Hezbollah pay a high price,” and Culture Minister Miki Zohar said, “We must stop the continuous delay and strike Hezbollah with a harsh attack. The time for action has come.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu, saying, “Netanyahu has not yet decided to return to Israel, which is another disgraceful sign of his complete disconnection.”

Yisrael Beiteinu Party leader Avigdor Lieberman stated, “It is time for Nasrallah to pay the price.”

Lebanon Condemns and UNIFIL Faces Escalation

The Lebanese government condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against all civilians” following the missile attack that killed civilians in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan.

The Lebanese government statement called for “the immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts” and emphasized that “targeting civilians is a blatant violation of international law and contradicts humanitarian principles.”

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri received a call from UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, confirming Lebanon’s and its resistance’s commitment to Resolution 1701 and the rules of engagement to avoid targeting civilians.

On August 11, 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, calling for a full cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and establishing a buffer zone free of any armed personnel between the Blue Line and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, except for the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL.

Berri added that “Hezbollah’s denial of today’s incident in Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan reaffirms this commitment and Lebanon’s non-responsibility for what happened,” according to a statement from Berri.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt stated, “Targeting civilians is unacceptable and condemned, whether in occupied Palestine, the occupied Golan, or southern Lebanon.” He called for avoiding any escalation or incitement and stressed the need to prevent the expansion of the war and to stop the aggression and ceasefire immediately.

The Druze community is one of the main ethnic-religious groups in Lebanon, with at least 200,000 members out of a total population of over 5.2 million.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said his forces are “in contact” with Lebanon and Israel to de-escalate the border tension following the incident in Majdal Shams. Lebanese media reported that Tenenti stated, “UNIFIL is in contact with the parties to try to de-escalate.”

Hezbollah Denies Involvement

Earlier on Saturday, Israeli authorities announced that 11 people were killed and dozens injured due to a missile falling on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan, suggesting that the victims were from the Druze community.

While the Israeli army spokesperson accused Hezbollah of the attack and threatened to respond, the group denied responsibility.

Hezbollah stated, “The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon categorically denies the allegations made by some enemy media outlets and various media platforms about targeting Majdal Shams.”

The statement added, “We affirm that the Islamic Resistance has no connection with the incident at all and deny all false allegations in this regard.”

Before the Majdal Shams incident, Hezbollah had already announced the targeting of four military sites in northern Israel in response to Israeli army attacks on southern Lebanon.

These targets included “Katyusha rocket attacks on the Hermon Brigade headquarters in the Ma’ale Golani barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan,” but the group did not mention targeting Majdal Shams.

Ghaleb Seif, head of the Druze Initiative, indicated that “the rockets falling on Druze villages and the Galilee are Israeli interceptor rockets, always causing significant damage to property and lives.”

These attacks followed Hezbollah’s announcement of the killing of four of its members by Israeli fire, bringing the total number of its killed fighters to 384 since October 8, 2023.

Since October 8, 2023, Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon, primarily Hezbollah, have exchanged daily shelling with the Israeli army across the Blue Line, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries, mostly on the Lebanese side.

The factions have conditioned the cessation of shelling on Israel ending its US-backed war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, which has caused over 128,000 Palestinian casualties, mostly children and women, and more than 10,000 missing persons.

Tel Aviv continues its war on Gaza, ignoring the UN Security Council’s decision to cease it immediately and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent genocide and improve the dire humanitarian situation in the Strip.