Israel is bracing for a potential multi-day attack by Iran and its proxy Hezbollah following the recent assassinations of two senior terror leaders, an Israeli official told NBC News.

"They'll just try to wear us out," the official said, describing expectations of waves of missiles and drones fired over several days in response to the killings of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shoukr.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told NBC News that Israel fears the attacks could come over an extended period, with Hezbollah striking from the north while Iran launches longer-range weapons from the east.

"There is strong US pressure to reach a ceasefire," the official added. President Joe "Biden wants it to happen during his time in office."

Biden reportedly had a "tense" call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Haniyeh's assassination, according to the Israeli official. The US president has publicly stated that the killing was not helpful to efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Israeli negotiators were in Cairo on Saturday to continue negotiations but left without a breakthrough, the official said.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday, discussing "ironclad US support for Israel's security and right to self-defense against threats," according to a Pentagon statement.

The assassinations have heightened tensions in an already volatile region. Israel killed Shoukr in a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut last Tuesday. Shoukr was responsible for an attack in the Druze village of Majdal Shams that killed 12 children. "There was no price too high for the blood of our people," the military stated.

Hours later, news broke of Haniyeh's death in Tehran early Wednesday morning. Haniyeh was in Iran to attend the inauguration of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian officials have vowed to retaliate against Israel, although Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's assassination. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah also warned his followers that Israel would face consequences for the attacks.

This potential retaliation would mark the second time Iran has directly attacked Israel this year, following an April 13 assault involving 300 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. The majority of those projectiles were intercepted by Israeli and US forces.

As tensions continue to escalate, diplomatic efforts to prevent a wider regional conflict are ongoing. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been in communication with G7 foreign ministers and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani about the urgent need for de-escalation in the region.

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In the shadow of escalating conflict with Hezbollah, Lebanon finds itself in mounting internal tension. Yet, the pro-Iranian organization faces an opposition camp that fails to truly challenge it. Politically, the main opposition to Hezbollah includes the Maronite Christian parties, some of which maintain militias. However, over the years, Hezbollah has forged alliances with pro-Syrian Christians, effectively controlling the government with their help.

Even the 2022 elections, where Hezbollah's coalition lost its majority, failed to bring about the desired change. Without Hezbollah's partners, the opposition couldn't form its own coalition. As for Lebanese Druze, they have chosen to align with Hezbollah's narrative regarding the Majdal Shams killings, preferring to call for an "international investigative committee." Walid Jumblatt, the country's prominent Druze leader, even falsely claimed that Israel is promoting a "civil war." This stance stems from the Lebanese Druze being a small and vulnerable community, especially compared to Hezbollah. This paralysis has left Lebanon without a president for almost two years.

The issue greatly hinders the country's decision-making process, as the acting president is the Sunni caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati. Besides him, the Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, head of the Shiite Amal Movement, wields considerable power. The two are long-standing political allies of Hezbollah who do not challenge it. Militarily, Hezbollah is the most significant force, despite the Lebanese Army having more soldiers on paper. While Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah claims to command a force of 100,000 men, there are conflicting estimates regarding this figure.

Some believe the array includes no more than 50,000 men, including reservists, while others think Nasrallah's words are just the tip of the iceberg. Either way, Hezbollah enjoys trained forces, advanced weapons, and strategic capabilities that the Lebanese Army can only dream of: tunnels between the country's south and east, and launch tunnels; a missile precision project including 250,000 munitions; several thousand of them precise (according to the Alma Research and Education Center); air defense systems and an elite unit – the Radwan Force.

In this situation, President of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea's militia, estimated to include at best ten thousand men, stands little chance. Therefore, his declarations, who just several days ago called the pro-Iranian axis "a cancer striking the country," remain of limited value. Nevertheless, Geagea sheds light on Hezbollah's difficult situation. "If the war ends now – as it began without warning – then the price we paid is more than 500 Lebanese deaths. In addition to many villages completely destroyed. Not to mention losses in billions of dollars. All these things for nothing," he said. A perspective from the ground.

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Video: A direct hit in Majdal Shams.

Twelve children and teenagers were killed from a direct hit on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a village located in the northern Golan Heights, with at least 30 more injured. Residents in the northern Golan and Upper Galilee have been instructed to stay close to protected areas.

Military sources estimate that a rocket landed on the soccer field where the children were present. The deadly impact has led to special preparations within the IDF, with senior officials indicating that they are preparing for a significant response following the tragic event.

These are their names:

Fajer Laith Abu Saleh, 16

Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh, 16

Hazem Akram Abu Saleh, 15

Johnny Wadeea Ibrahim, 13

Iseel Nasha'at Ayoub, 12

Vinees Adham Alsafadi, 11

Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh, 12

Alma Ayman Fakher Eldin, 11

Naji Taher Alhalabi, 11

Milad Muadad Alsha'ar, 10

Magen David Adom (MDA) reported that paramedics treated those critically injured, aged 10 to 20, some of whom were transferred to local clinics. Evacuation helicopters, ambulances, and intensive care units were dispatched to the scene.

Senior MDA paramedic Idan Avshalom described the scene: "We arrived at the soccer field and saw destruction and objects burning. Victims were lying on the grass, and the sights were difficult to witness. We immediately started triaging the injured. Some were taken to local clinics, and our teams were also directed there. During the incident, there were further alerts, and the medical treatment of the injured is still ongoing."

In response to Hezbollah's attack, the IDF launched a retaliatory strike in Aabbasiyyeh, located in the south of Lebanon. The US asked the Lebanese government to restrain Hezbollah, saying that a significant attack by Israel might lead to a "regional war."

Video: The IDF's retaliatory strike in Aabbasiyyeh, Lebanon. Credit: Arab media

Hezbollah launched at least one hundred rockets today toward communities in the Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights. In a statement, the terrorist organization claimed the attacks were in response to the killing of four terrorists in the village of Kila earlier today.

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This should be a moment of shared grief that transcends politics, reported on with clear language. These were kids, with their whole lives ahead of them, killed on a summer afternoon. But instead of universal condemnation, we see media outlets hedging headlines and blurring the stark reality.

Some prime examples include headlines such as, "12 killed in rocket attack on disputed Golan Heights town", which denies the victims their Israeli identity and the Golan its status as sovereign Israeli territory.

The article claims "some of the dead were children" in the headline, only confirming in the final paragraph that all victims were children aged 8-15.

Certain media outlets stated that "Israel claims it was Hezbollah." This is yet another statement sowing unwarranted doubt. Since October 7th, 2023, Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups have launched a staggering 9,500 attacks against Israel's north, from a stockpile of over 150,000 rockets and missiles. Their culpability is clear.

International media reports also cite casualty figures from Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, numbers long discredited as inflated propaganda. Inserting this in a story about Druze children murdered on Israeli soil is a transparent attempt to minimize their deaths.

This is not an isolated case. Across the media, victims are referred to as "teenagers" before children. Their citizenship is denied its rightful honor. The indisputable fact this attack occurred on Israeli land, captured in a defensive war in 1967, is obscured with references to "disputed" territory.

Need I remind the world that Alsace-Lorraine changed hands between France and Germany four times from 1870 to 1945? Territorial disputes are the rule in history, not the exception. The world map is a palimpsest of shifting borders, many drawn by colonial powers. To single out the Golan Heights is to ignore historical reality. Had any other nation been attacked as Israel was in 1967, they would have annihilated the aggressors.

There are images of dismembered children, their bodies torn apart by the blast, that prove the truth of this atrocity. Yet the world looks away. When "All Eyes on Rafah" trends, facts are left behind in a digital intifada of hate.

Contrast this with Gaza, where 17-year-olds with alleged militant ties are labeled "children." Casualty reports have no caveats. The destruction of schools is condemned as a war crime.

The double standard is glaring. A child's presumed innocence depends on which side of a border they die.

Let me be clear: killing children is wrong anywhere, period. Young lives taken by violence deserve the same tears, fury, and demands for justice - whether in Gaza, Israel or Ukraine. Placing asterisks on a child's life based on nationality is abhorrent. 

Failing to reject this isn't just unethical journalism - it's a failure of basic humanity

To understand the full tragedy, one must know the Druze. An offshoot of Shi'a Islam, the Druze are a distinct religious and ethnic group found mainly in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. Despite centuries of persecution, they have been a significant Middle Eastern minority since the 11th century.

In Syria, which has the world's largest Druze population, they face unrelenting oppression. Islamist groups have closed Druze shrines, forced conversions, and committed mass kidnappings and killings. In one horrific incident, ISIS beheaded teenage hostage Muhannad Abu Ammar and massacred 250 Druze villagers.

In stark contrast, Israel's 145,000 Druze citizens are fiercely loyal to the Jewish state. They serve in the IDF in large numbers and have fought alongside Jewish Israelis in every major conflict since 1948. The Druze hold high positions in government and are an integral part of Israel's diverse social fabric, adored and respected by both the Left and the Right.

Israel has given the Druze a safe haven from the jihadist brutality they face elsewhere. Their story puts the lie to smears of Israel as an "apartheid" state. A thriving Druze community, proudly Israeli while maintaining its unique identity, is living proof of Israel's pluralism. Those who peddle such slanders erase Druze agency.

In Majdal Shams, a poignant tradition endures at the "Shouting Hill", where Druze families separated by the Israel-Syria border gather to communicate with relatives across the divide. They shout messages of love and news, a deeply human ritual that has persisted since the 1967 war. The Shouting Hill and the Druze people are a symbol of resilience and connection in the face of geopolitical barriers.

As Majdal Shams and Israel buries its sons and daughters, where are the condemnations from the UN, Red Cross, Amnesty? The silence is deafening. 

When Israel defends itself, they are quick to judge. But when jihadists murder Israeli children, they are slow and equivocal. And where is the statement from Secretary General Guterres? His lack of comment is abhorrent.

The children of Majdal Shams must be mourned as children, full stop. Not as "Druze-Israelis," not as "teenagers," not as footnotes - but as innocent kids robbed of life by terrorists.

The victims, stolen from us too soon, were:

Fajr Laith Abu Saleh, 16

Ameer Rabeea Abu Saleh, 16

Hazem Akram Abu Saleh, 15

John Wadeea Ibrahim, 13

Iseel Nasha'at Ayoub, 12

Finis Adham Safadi, 11

Yazan Nayeif Abu Saleh, 12

Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din, 11

Naji Taher al-Halabi, 11

Milad Muadad al-Sha'ar, 10

Nathem Fakher Saeb, 11

May their memories be a blessing.

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Arabic-language social media was filled with images and videos of Hezbollah's rocket attack on the town of Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights. Alongside expressions of joy from Hezbollah supporters, there were numerous angry reactions to the killing of the town's residents.

According to many commenters, the residents of Majdal Shams, Druze citizens of Israel, are "occupied Syrian residents" and their killing demonstrates the organization's disregard for the lives of Druze and Syrians.

"The Party of Satan specializes in killing Syrians and loves to kill children," wrote Samir, a Syrian citizen who supports the rebels against the Assad regime.

"Hezbollah, a terror resistance, kills Syrians," wrote Awarim Suwaidan, known as "Abu Khalil," who frequently expresses support for the Syrian rebels and Turkish involvement in Syria on his Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Wisam Zawamot, a Lebanese citizen living in Germany, wrote: "Allah's curse on the criminal Hezbollah, child murderers."

On the other hand, Muna Al-Qatani, a Palestinian living in Paris, wrote: "The Druze are agents and traitors. They enlist in the occupying army."

The residents of Majdal Shams do not enlist in the IDF, and many of them refuse to accept Israeli citizenship. A user named Yasmin was quick to blame Israel for the incident, claiming that a flaw in the Iron Dome system caused the hit on Majdal Shams.

The Hezbollah attack occurred at 18:18, and according to reports, the terrorist organization fired dozens of rockets at northern Israeli settlements. The Lebanese network Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with Hezbollah, claimed that the barrage included more than 100 rockets fired over the course of an hour to the Galilee Panhandle and the Golan Heights.

Analyst Amjad Taha, based in the UAE, condemned this evening "the barbaric attack by Lebanese Hezbollah on Israeli children and youth at a soccer field! In Majdal Shams, a town of the Druze minority. Israel has the right to defend itself against this evil. The world needs to protect against the heinous act of Iran's proxy in Lebanon. Where are the children's rights organizations?"

IDF Arabic Spokesman Avichay Adraee said: "Hezbollah has been lying and denies its connection to the incident. Our intelligence is clear - Hezbollah is responsible for the killing of innocent children. Hezbollah has once again exposed its ugly face as a terrorist organization."

Druze politician close to Hezbollah, Wi'am Wahhab, added: "Our blood is not cheap; we demand an independent investigation involving the UN to reveal the circumstances of the massacre in Majdal Shams."

The Lebanese government also responded to the shooting, telling Reuters: "The Lebanese government condemns attacks against civilians and calls for an end to hostilities on both sides of the front."

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stated that "Hezbollah's denial of what happened in Majdal Shams confirms its commitment to the rules of the struggle."

Druze-Lebanese politician Walid Jumblatt responded this evening: "We reject attacks on civilians in Palestine, the occupied Golan Heights, and southern Lebanon. We warn against attempts by the Israeli enemy to ignite a civil war and divide the region. We stand with the resistance and the resistance fighters facing the crimes of the occupation."

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