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Lebanon urges international probe into deadly Golan strike
The country’s foreign minister called for an international investigation into the attack that killed 12 youths in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, warning against a large-scale response. In a statement on X, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib pressed for an independent probe “to know the truth” about who is responsible.
Israel says Hezbollah carried out Saturday’s rocket attack that hit a football field where Druze youths were playing in the town of Majdal Shams, while the Lebanese group rejected the allegation.
Middle East Airlines delays return of some flights
Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines says it postponed the return of some flights from Sunday night to Monday morning without stating an official reason. However, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig reports a source at the airline says the reason for the delays is fear of attacks by Israel against targets in Lebanon.
US diplomacy crucial to preventing Israel-Lebanon escalation
US officials say they don’t want the outbreak of a new conflict after Israel accused Hezbollah of killing 12 youths in a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Heiko Wimmen, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the United States is the only party that has leverage on Israel. “If this escalates and blows up into a full-fledged war, Israel will need support from the US in terms of a resupply of weapons,” Wimmen told Al Jazeera.
Yet, the rocket that killed 12 in Majdal Shams could be the accident that Wimmen feared would ignite a wider war that not even Washington is able to contain.
The analyst said the key to defusing tensions is to reach a ceasefire in Gaza as Hezbollah repeatedly said it will stop its attacks if Israel halts its nearly 10-month assault.
“The US administration has not done enough to [reach a ceasefire] in Gaza. The incident in Majdal Shams is a potent reminder of why it is necessary to bring this unending conflict to an end,” Wimmen said.
