Israeli response to soccer field attack could 'tear Lebanon apart'

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged restraint Sunday after a rocket attack on a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 children and teens, a strike that fueled outrage in Israel and pushed it to the edge of all-out war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Blinken, speaking at a new conference in Tokyo, defended Israel's right to defend itself but added that "it's so important that we help defuse that conflict ... because you have so many people in both countries, in both Israel and Lebanon, who've been displaced from their homes."

Former War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz, who leads Israel's opposition National Union party and is considered a possible successor to politically embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says Israel could react to the rocket attack by “tearing Lebanon apart.” Gantz told Israel's Channel 12 the Israeli military is ready and "I assume that is what we will see."

U.S. and Israeli officials dismissed vehement Hezbollah claims that the Iran-backed militant group was not responsible for the assault. Hezbollah has claimed allegiance to Palestinians in Gaza and has been firing rockets into Israel since October. The assaults have stepped up in recent weeks and drawn strong counterattacks from Israelis.

"This attack was conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket and launched from an area they control," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement Sunday. "Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah."

Watson said the U.S. is working on a diplomatic solution along the Lebanon-Israeli border to "end all attacks once and for all" and allow residents on both sides of the border to return to their homes.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the Saturday attack but also urged "maximum restraint." He said children and other civilians should not bear the burden of "horrific violence plaguing the region."

Netanyahu has pledged a tough response, and late Sunday he received authorization from Israel's Security Cabinet to decided on the "manner and timing'' of the country's reprisal, his office said.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Hezbollah will face the consequences “even with its ridiculous denials.”

"We will ensure Hezbollah, the proxy of Iran, pays a price for this loss," Gallant said on social media .

Developments:

∎ Lebanon has asked the U.S. to urge restraint from Israel, Lebanon Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said. He called for an international investigation of the attack, telling the Lebanese National News Agency he believes it was either carried out by some other militant group or was an accidental strike by Israel or Hezbollah.

∎ CIA Director William Burns was expected to meet Sunday in Rome with officials from Israel, Egypt and Qatar for the latest round of talks aimed at a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages by Hamas.

∎ A plan to send more than 100 sick Gazan children abroad for medical treatment will be postponed because of the soccer field attack, according to Israel's Kan public broadcaster.

Schumer: Iran is the 'real evil' in Middle East

Iran is the "real evil" in the Middle East and Israel has the right to strike back hard at Hezbollah militants for the deadly rocket attack on a soccer field , Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Sunday. Iran supports militant groups across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.

Schumer, who has slammed Netanyahu's leadership but remains a fervent supporter of Israel, said Israel has "every right" to defend itself against Hezbollah. He, like Blinken, urged efforts to de-escalate the growing crisis.

Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967. Israel annexed the region more than a decade later over the objections of the international community, which does not recognize Israel's claim. The strike hit a Druze village that is home to ethnic Arabs.

"It shows you how bad Iran and its surrogates are," Schumer said on CBS' Face the Nation. "These were Arab kids ... they sent missiles at, and they don't even care."

Ex-hostage says Gaza doctors would 'purposely cause pain'

Former hostage Maya Regev, who was released in November after weeks in Hamas captivity, says she experienced cruelty from doctors in Gaza who treated her for a gunshot wound to the leg.

“They would really hurt me,” Regev told Channel 12 news. “When they wanted to see the wounds, they would purposely cause pain, would take chlorine, alcohol, and sometimes even something like apple cider vinegar, and would pour it in (the wound) and apply pressure.”

Regev said she wanted to kick one doctor in the face but "he had a pistol and I had nothing, so I shut up." At one point she feared they would amputate her leg. Regev said she returned to Israel with a fungus growing inside her bone, has had numerous surgeries and still hopes to walk on the leg in the future.

Regev was one of about 250 people seized by Hamas-led militants and brought back to Gaza during their Oct. 7 rampage through Israeli border villages. Almost 1,200 people were killed in the raid, according to Israeli authorities.

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israeli response to soccer field attack could 'tear Lebanon apart'