The leader of the Lebanese Druze community has warned of Israeli efforts to "incite strife" in the region after it accused Hezbollah of an attack in the occupied Golan Heights.
A rocket strike targeting a football pitch on Saturday in Majdal Shams, whose population is predominantly Arabic-speaking Druze, killed 12 young people.
In light of a Hezbollah statement denying any involvement in the attack, Lebanese Druze Walid Jumblatt said: "We reiterate our warning and alertness to what the Israeli enemy has long been working on – to incite strife, fragment the region, and target its components."
"We have previously thwarted this (Israeli) scheme, and now that it has re-emerged, we remain vigilant alongside the resistance and all fighters confronting Israeli aggression and occupation," he told Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
Israeli authorities said earlier that 12 people were killed and 37 others injured in the attack. While the Israeli army accused Hezbollah of the attack, the group denied any involvement.
Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces since Tel Aviv launched its genocidal war on Gaza, triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
Israel has so far killed over 39,300 people, mostly women and children, in the Palestinian territory.
