ADDS DEATH TOLL INCREASE; CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE, EDITS THROUGH
JERUSALEM (AA) - At least 12 people were killed and 35 injured in a missile attack on the northern part of the occupied Golan Heights, Israeli authorities claimed Saturday.
An Israeli army spokesperson accused Hezbollah for the attack but the Lebanese group denied responsibility.
The Israeli army said the deaths occurred in a strike in Majdal Shams.
Israel’s national ambulance service Magen David Adom said in a statement that 35 others were injured when the missile fell on the town of Druze.
It added that 17 of the injured were in “serious” condition.
The army said Israeli helicopters and army forces, in cooperation with Magen David Adom, are working to evacuate the dead and wounded from Majdal Shams.
Israeli Channel 12, meanwhile, reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is following the operation in Majdal Shams.
Earlier, the Israeli army said that a missile, not a drone, was fired at Majdal Shams.
“The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon categorically denies the claims made by some enemy media and various media platforms about targeting Majdal Shams,” the Lebanese group Hezbollah said in a statement.
Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with a deadly offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 39,300 victims since October following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala