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HORROR footage has captured the moment a Hezbollah rocket blasts into an Israeli football pitch, leaving 12 kids dead as others scream and sprint away.
In footage circulating on X, air-raid sirens blare as children play, with one in a Lionel Messi jersey even appearing to smile.
A young person in a Lionel Messi jersey appears to smile seconds before horror
The rocket then blasts in from nowhere
The person filming then runs away amid piercing screams
The blast has enhanced fears of broader warA rocket suddenly barrels in, blasting into the ground beside them with flames seen filling the air.
Those lucky enough to have not been hit by the strike begin running away and erupt in screams of terror.
The rocket smashed into the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, with Israel swiftly blaming Lebanon-based militants Hezbollah for the attack.
Survivors later reported seeing the lifeless bodies of children, some with their limbs blown off.
Hezbollah are a key ally of Hamas and have renewed attacks on bitter foes Israel with the Gaza conflict raging on.
It means Israel is now tasked with taking on terrorists in Lebanon and Gaza, heightening fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East.
Both of those terror groups are considered proxy powers of Iran, which itself fired missiles into Israel in April.
The Israelis now fear they could be fighting a war on as many as seven fronts.
They are Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the Houthis from Yemen, Syria, Iraq and ring-leaders Iran.
Former British army colonel Richard Kemp told The Sun they were ultimately all puppets of Iran.
He said: “All of Israel’s opponents in each of those seven fronts are a manipulated, orchestrated arm, directed by Iran.
“And Iran has shown some scale, I suppose you call it, at coordinating actions and using one front to retaliate against actions on another front.”
Benjamin Netanyahu quickly vowed revenge on the Islamist militants, but Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian warned of grave consequences for any attack on Lebanon.
Hezbollah has denied any responsibility for the horror attack.
Colonel Kemp believes the Israelis are more likely to inflict targeted strikes that hamper Hezbollah operations, rather than blasting away in Lebanon and endangering civilians.
But the sceptre of an all-out war is looming, with the US scrambling to prevent it.
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday told Reuters he would prefer Middle Eastern rivals to solve their differences with diplomacy rather than rockets.
He said: “While we’ve seen a lot of activity on Israel’s northern border, we remain concerned about the potential of this escalating into a full-blown fight. And I don’t believe that a fight is inevitable.
“We’d like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.”
Hezbollah has evacuated some of its positions in Lebanon’s south as it anticipates a forceful response.
Who are Hezbollah?
Hezbollah – or the Party of God – is a Shia Muslim movement which emerged during the early 1980s with financial backing from Iran.
The group is now considered an Iranian proxy army and the group is committed to destroying Israel.
In 2001, UK ministers banned its external security organisation and seven years later, the proscription was extended to Hezbollah’s military wing.
A listing in the official register of banned groups says Hezbollah is “committed to armed resistance to the state of Israel, and aims to seize all Palestinian territories and Jerusalem from Israel”.
It added: “Its military wing supports terrorism in Iraq and the Palestinian territories.”
Brit officials have accused the Iran organisation of destabilising the Middle East and it is a proscribed group in the UK.
Any members in the UK or supporters could be jailed for up to 10 years.
Israeli troops are expected to lead a big response to the Hezbollah strike
IDF forces are already fighting Hamas with other fronts opening up
The Iran-backed Hezbollah strike inflicted damage and devastation
English (US)