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Residents of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams on Monday heckled and chased away Benjamin Netanyahu, who was visiting the Syrian Druze town following the deadly rocket strike that killed 12 children. Locals could be heard chanting "Killer! Killer!", "Get out, war criminal" and "You’re not welcome here!" as the Israeli prime minister, accompanied by the head of Israeli intelligence service Shin Bet, arrived at the site of Saturday’s massacre. Netanyahu was not the only official to feel the anger of Majdal Shams’ residents. The far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, was heckled and kicked out by mourners as he attempted to attend funeral services on Sunday. Majdal Shams has been thrust into the spotlight following the deadly strike that killed 12 boys and girls aged between 10 and 16 after a rocket hit a field as the youngsters were playing football. Israel has placed the blame on Hezbollah, and Netanyahu vowed Israel would deliver a "severe response". However, Hezbollah has denied any involvement and has pointed the finger at Israel. The attack on Majdal Shams has sparked fears of further exchanges of cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel, and perhaps an even bigger escalation in the already volatile region. The Druze population in the occupied Golan Heights largely identifies as Syrian, with most refusing to accept Israeli nationality after the country seized two-thirds of the territory from Syria in 1967 in the backdrop of the Arab-Israeli war that same year. Israel formally annexed the territory in 1981, in a move not recognised by the international community, except for the US under then-President Donald Trump since 2019.
