A rocket attack on a town in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed 11 people

A rocket strike on a soccer field on Saturday killed at least 11 children and teenagers, according to Israeli authorities, making it the bloodiest hit on an Israeli target along the country's northern border since Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began fighting.

Israel said it had identified "approximately 30 projectiles" flowing from Lebanon into Israeli territory and blamed the barrage on the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah denied firing the rockets, claiming it "firmly denied" the charge.

Before details of the strike's impact appeared, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for four assaults, including one on the Hermon Brigade's military headquarters on the slopes of Mount Hermon. The base is approximately two miles from the football pitch where the explosion happened.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Hezbollah "will pay a heavy price for this attack, one that it has not paid so far."

sraeli President Isaac Herzog decried the attack as a “terrible and shocking disaster” and vowed Israel would “defend” its citizens.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he would cut short his visit to the United States and return to Israel as a result of the incident, according to the Israeli Government Press Office, adding that he would convene a security cabinet meeting immediately upon his return. Netanyahu was supposed to fly back later on Saturday.

The strike in Majdal Shams, a village in Israel-controlled northern Golan Heights with a strong Druze majority, injured at least 29 persons.

Majdal Shams is one of four settlements in the Golan Heights where approximately 25,000 Druze live.

When the Golan Heights were taken from Syria in 1981, only a small number embraced Israeli citizenship.

Most have remained loyal to Syria. Druze in the Golan can continue to study and work in Israel, but only citizens are eligible to vote and must serve in the army.

The vast majority of the international world does not acknowledge Israel's annexation of the territory.

The Druze are an Arabic-speaking ethnic minority who primarily inhabit in Lebanon, Syria, and northern Israel. In Israel, they have full citizenship rights and make up approximately 1.5% of the population.

The Israeli Druze community, like other Israelis, is required to perform military service. It is the largest non-Jewish group serving in the IDF.

Saturday's violence occurred as Israel and Hamas were discussing a cease-fire agreement that would end the nearly 10-month war in Gaza and liberate the approximately 110 captives who remain captive there. Hamas' attack on October 7 killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more. Local health authorities report that Israel's offensive has killed more than 39,000 people.

Since early October, Israeli bombings in Lebanon have killed over 450 people, predominantly Hezbollah militants, but also over 90 civilians and non-combatants. On the Israeli side, 44 people have been killed, including at least 21 soldiers.