Hezbollah Fires Rockets at Israel After Deadly Majdal Shams Attack

Latest Developments

The Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah carried out several attacks on July 28 and July 29 targeting northern Israel. The attacks come in the wake of a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers. On July 28, Hezbollah targeted the Israeli community of Shtula. On July 29, it launched a barrage of rockets at the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona and also targeted the smaller Israeli border communities of Ya’ara and Adamit with a drone.

Hezbollah also announced on July 29 that two of its members had been killed in a drone strike on a car in southern Lebanon. The terrorist group has now lost 383 operatives since it began its attacks on Israel in the wake of Hamas’s deadly massacre of Israelis on October 7. The Israel Defense Forces Home Front Command warned Israelis near Israel’s border with Lebanon to avoid crowds as clashes with Hezbollah continue.

Expert Analysis

“Hezbollah wants to return to carrying out daily attacks on Israel in the wake of its massacre of Druze children in a rocket attack on July 27. The Iranian-backed terrorist group has sought to make its drone and missile attacks on Israel a new normal. After the attack on Majdal Shams, Hezbollah hopes that the international community will pressure Israel to limit its response so that Hezbollah can benefit and continue its deadly assaults on Israel.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“Hezbollah’s resumption of attacks was predictable. The group has vowed to continue attacking Israel until a Gaza ceasefire emerges and can’t back down from that promise without appearing weak. But after the Majdal Shams tragedy, the group would do well to avoid drawing any more Israeli blood — at least in the near term — as any more Israeli fatalities will not be assessed by Jerusalem in isolation but on top of the 12 children murdered by Hezbollah on Saturday.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow 

Lebanon Calls for International Investigation of Majdal Shams Attack

On July 28, Lebanon’s acting Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib called for an “international investigation or a meeting of the tripartite committee held through UNIFIL to know the truth” in the wake of the Majdal Shams attack. He has also claimed that the Majdal Shams rocket attack “was carried out by other organizations or was an Israeli mistake or a mistake by Hezbollah.” Lebanon has a track record of failure with regard to investigations into terrorism and crimes within its borders. The country was unable to fully investigate a massive explosion in the port of Beirut in 2020 that killed over 200 people. The country also failed to investigate the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. In 2022, a UN-backed court eventually convicted two Hezbollah members for the crime.

Related Analysis

“Funerals Held for Victims of Hezbollah Attack on Majdal Shams,” FDD Flash Brief

“Children Among Dozens of Dead, Wounded as Hezbollah Rocket Strikes Soccer Field in Majdal Shams,” FDD Flash Brief

“Two Israeli Civilians Killed by Hezbollah Rocket Barrage in Golan Heights,” FDD Flash Brief