Majdal Shams residents mourn martyrs, reject any Israeli presence

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen + Israeli media
28 Jul 2024 14:48
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The Israeli news website Walla says Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was met with rejection and protests upon his arrival in the town.

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Mourners surround the coffins of 10 of the 12 people killed in a rocket strike, during a mass funeral in the town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, on July 28, 2024. (AFP)

Residents of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan held Saturday a funeral ceremony for the victims of the Israeli attack that targeted a football field in the town.

An Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile struck a playground in the town, which is made up entirely of Druze Syrians, killing at least 12 civilians, including children, and wounding at least a dozen others.

"Israel" was quick to pin the blame on Hezbollah and claimed that the Lebanese group targeted the town with an "Iranian rocket".

Footage from the funeral ceremony of the martyrs of the Israeli massacre in Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian #Golan.#Syria https://t.co/tLwdbDgGaP
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 28, 2024

The Israeli Channel 13 reported that residents of Majdal Shams attacked members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party who attended the funeral.

Meanwhile, the Israeli news website Walla mentioned that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was met with rejection and protests upon his arrival in the town.

"Get out of here. We don't want you here, you killer," the residents told Smotrich, accusing the Israeli Minister of making use of their children's blood.

Following the Golan incident, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that "Israel will not let this murderous attack go unanswered and Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for it, a price it has not paid before," according to a statement from his office.

Hezbollah denied Saturday that it targeted Majdal Shams, a Druze town where many residents have rejected Israeli nationality since the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights in 1967.

In a statement, the Lebanese Resistance group said it "categorically denies the allegations reported by certain enemy media and various media platforms concerning the targeting of Majdal Shams."

"The Islamic Resistance has no connection to this incident," it affirmed.

Later, Axios cited an American official as saying Hezbollah officials told the UN that the Golan Heights incident was the result of an Israeli interceptor missile hitting the playground in Majdal Shams.