Hezbollah, the Lebanese radical group, has refuted claims of launching a missile that resulted in the death of 12 children and teenagers at a soccer field in the Golan Heights under Israeli control.
An analysis conducted by Sky News’ Data and Forensics Unit indicates that the group’s intended target was a military installation situated 2.4km (1.5 miles) away from the area of the tragic incident.
Considering the launch point coordinates provided by the Israeli military, the projectile would have traveled about 10.2km (6.3 miles) before reaching the sports venue in Majdal Shams – comfortably within the Falaq-1’s 11km operational range.
Shaan Shaikh, the deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), characterized the weapon as an outdated, unguided artillery rocket.
“There was a notable incident in 2005 where Hezbollah mistakenly fired a Falaq-1 into Israeli territory,” Shaikh explained.
According to Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Hezbollah has been targeting the Ma’ale Golani military base for several months.
“When planning military offensives like this, errors can occur,” Hinz remarked.
He emphasized that employing an unguided rocket like the Falaq-1, described as “short-range but heavy,” amplifies the risk of inaccuracies.
Hinz expressed that deviating 2.4km from the intended target suggests a significant failure in execution.
Hezbollah promptly disavowed any involvement in the assault, absolving itself of responsibility within an hour of the initial casualty reports.
Further Reading:
Devastating Impact of Rocket Strike on Community
Israel’s Firm Stance Against Hezbollah
The majority of Majdal Shams’ 12,000 residents are Druze, a minority religious group with about 250,000 adherents in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is headquartered.
The 12 fatalities mark the highest civilian death toll in Israeli-administered territory from a single attack since the Hamas massacre on 7th October.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hezbollah would face severe consequences for this assault, unlike any it has encountered before.
Hinz noted that Israeli authorities will likely respond decisively given the scale of the incident.
“Tensions are mounting.”
The Data and Forensics unit is a versatile team committed to delivering transparent journalism at Sky News. We collect, analyze, and present data to craft insightful narratives. Our blend of conventional reporting skills and sophisticated data interpretation, including satellite imagery and social media, aims to provide comprehensive insights into global occurrences, showcasing the essence of our journalism.
