Posted on 07/28/24
| News Source: JPost
International officials have reacted to Saturday's Hezbollah missile attack on the Majdal Shams Druze village in northern Israel, with the White House calling the strike, which killed 12 people, including children, on a soccer pitch "horrific."
"Our support for Israel's security is iron-clad and unwavering against all Iranian backed terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said in a statement.
Mélanie Joly, the Canadian foreign minister, posted on X, formerly Twitter, "We are horrified by the rocket attack on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, which has killed more than 10 innocent people and wounded many more, primarily children. We unequivocally condemn this attack and offer our condolences to the families of the victims and to the Druze community."
She also reiterated Canada's demands that Iran and its proxies refrain from destabilizing the region and expressed concern about further escalation as a result of the attack.
Former President Donald Trump, who was speaking at a Bitcoin event in Nashville, also mentioned the attack.
"We just heard that Israel was just severely attacked - Hezbollah, it looks like," he said.
"They cannot do this; what they did is terrible. So to all, God bless everyone. We cannot let it continue, and we wish them a lot of luck. It's a terrible thing."
He later posted on his social media account, Truth Social, "today’s attack on Israel cannot be forgotten."
At a rally in Minnesota on Sunday, he said "Our heart goes out to the families of the murdered children, no parent should suffer the loss of a child to terrorists.
In a statement from the French foreign ministry, France condemned the attack in "the strongest possible terms" and demanded that "everything possible be done to avoid a new military escalation."
They added that they advised French citizens against all travel to Lebanon, Israel or the Palestinian territories.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the rocket strike and said he was concerned it would spark further violence.
"The UK condemns the strike in Golan Heights that has tragically claimed at least 12 lives," Lammy said in a statement on the social media platform X. "We are deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation and destabilization. We have been clear Hezbollah must cease their attacks," he added.
Tor Wennesland, the UN Middle East Peace Envoy, said he condemned the "abhorrent rocket attack that hit the Druze town of Majdal Shams" and added that it was children who continue to "bear the burden of the horrific violence plaguing the region."
He asked for "maximum restraint" and said that rocket launches across the Blue Line must "cease immediately."
"The Middle East is on the brink; the world and the region cannot afford another open conflict," he added.
Hezbollah has denied any responsibility for the attack. Israel has dismissed the denials and vowed to hit the Lebanese terror group hard.