A Gaza ceasefire is the best way to diffuse Israeli-Hezbollah violence, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday, in the aftermath of the deadly strike by the Iranian proxy group that killed 12 children in the Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams.“It's so important that we help diffuse that conflict” along Israel’s northern border, “not only to prevent it from spreading but to diffuse it,” Blinken told reporters during a press conference in Japan.“We’re determined to do that,” he added.Israel has said that the missile was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 and has vowed to retaliate for the attack. It was Hezbollah’s deadliest strike during the more than nine months of cross-border violence between the IDF and Hezbollah. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the northern command, and Majdal Shams stated, “I was shown the plans for a possible response. Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, was behind the attack, and they cannot hide it, despite their ridiculous denials. They fired [at Israel], and they will bear a heavy price for their actions.”Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was wrapping up a weeklong visit to the United States, was in Washington at the time of the attack. In an unusual manner that highlighted the emergency nature of the situation, he left earlier than scheduled on Saturday, while it was still the Sabbath there, landing back at Ben-Gurion International Airport early Sunday afternoon.
He left immediately for the Defense Ministry complex in Tel Aviv, where he is expected to convene the security cabinet at about 4 p.m.
Deeply saddened by loss of life in Majdal Shaams
In Tokyo, Blinken said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life in Majal Shaams, stressing that “there is no justification for terrorism. “Every indication is that, indeed, the rockets were from Hezbollah,” he added.“We stand by Israel's right to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks,” Blinken said.