Tel Aviv [Israel], July 29: Israel's security cabinet has authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to decide how and when to respond to the deadly attack in the Golan Heights.
Israel's security cabinet held a four-hour meeting on July 28 to discuss the attack in the Golan Heights the day before that killed 12 teenagers, according to The Times of Israel .
The cabinet authorized Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister Gallant to decide the scope and timing of the response to the attack, which Tel Aviv said was carried out by Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the deadliest attack on Israel since the Hamas-Israel conflict erupted on October 7, 2023. With ministers protesting against the haphazard approval of the Yemen strike last week, each minister was given ample time to express his views at the meeting on 28 July.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the rocket that fell on the football field in the village of Majdal Shams, killing the teenagers, was produced by Iran and owned only by Hezbollah .
The White House on July 28 also accused Hezbollah of being behind the incident while US Vice President Kamala Harris, a presidential candidate, expressed strong support for Israel's security.
According to Reuters, the US has been in close discussions with Israel and Lebanon since the attack to find a diplomatic solution. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington did not want to escalate the conflict as the Israeli army and Hezbollah have been exchanging attacks almost every day. On July 28, Israel continued to attack areas on the Lebanese border but it was not considered a response to the attack in Majdal Shams.
Meanwhile, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib said Beirut had received a calm message from the countries involved that Israel's response would be "limited", as would Hezbollah's subsequent response, according to regional media.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
