On All Fronts

Listen to Today's Edition:

Fears of a Middle Eastern conflict widening flared over the weekend after a deadly rocket attack on a Druze village in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, and an escalation in strikes by both Israel and Hezbollah, Axios reported.

On Saturday, a rocket struck a soccer field in the village of Majdal Shams, killing at least 12 children and wounding 30 others. Israel and the United States accused the Lebanon-based Hezbollah for the attack, with Israeli Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari saying the rocket used was an Iranian-made Falaq-1, which is exclusive to the armed group.

Hezbollah strongly denied responsibility. Lebanese acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the violence against civilians and called for an immediate halt to hostilities.

Israel responded to the attack Sunday by launching retaliatory airstrikes on Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon that they said included weapons caches and terrorist infrastructure.

Saturday’s attack on Majdal Shams came as Israel and Hezbollah launched a series of strikes against each other, in what US officials described as a day of “almost all-out war,” according to CBS News.

The two sides have traded near daily fire since Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip following the deadly Hamas attack on Oct. 7. At the time, Hamas and its allies launched a surprise assault that killed around 1,200 people and saw more 250 others taken hostage.

The ongoing war in Gaza has resulted in a humanitarian crisis that has displaced more than 80 percent of the territory’s population and killed more than 39,000 people, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled strip.

The conflict has also piled domestic and international pressure on Israel and its leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Friday, the United Kingdom’s Labour-led government reversed the country’s opposition to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Netanyahu, Politico added.

A spokesperson for new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the importance of the rule of law and the independence of courts while explaining the country’s reversal. The official added that “it is for the courts and prosecutor to decide and that’s why we’ve not taken forward plans put forward by the previous government.”

In May, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Gaza conflict.

The previous Conservative government had requested written observations from the ICC on whether it could exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals, arguing that the Palestinian Authority cannot exercise criminal jurisdiction.

The UK’s decision came shortly after Australia and Japan imposed a series of sanctions on Israeli settlers for their involvement in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

That followed a decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this month that declared Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories illegal under international law.

Israel has rejected the ICJ’s opinion as biased and not legally binding.