At least 10 people have been killed and 20 others wounded in a rocket attack on a football pitch in the town of the Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israeli authorities said.

Israel’s military spokesman Daniel Hagari said children were among those killed and accused the Lebanese group Hezbollah of carrying out the attack on Saturday, but the group denied any involvement.

“Our intelligence is clear. Hezbollah is responsible for the killing of innocent children,” Hagari said.

“We will prepare for a response against Hezbollah … we will act,” he said.

Hezbollah swiftly denied responsibility for the attack on Saturday. The group said in a statement it “categorically denies the allegations reported by certain enemy media and various media platforms concerning the targeting of Majdal Shams”.

“The Islamic Resistance has no connection to this incident,” it said, referring to its military wing.

The Iran-aligned group has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces in areas near the Israel-Lebanon border since October 8, when Israel launched its war on Gaza.

The cross-border attacks, which Hezbollah said it launched in solidarity with the Palestinian people amid Israel’s war on Gaza, have led to fears of a larger regional conflagration.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would fly home early from his trip to the United States, where he met several senior US officials.

“Immediately upon learning of the disaster in Majdal Shams, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed that his return to Israel be brought forward as quickly as possible,” Netanyahu’s office said in a post on X.

Lebanon’s government in a statement urged the “immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts” and condemned attacks on civilians.

Fears of escalation

Reporting from Qatar, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut said Saturday’s attack was one of the deadliest single incidents since the cross-border fire began and comes amid growing fears of an escalation.

“Hezbollah is saying this isn’t from them, whereas the Israelis immediately said it was them,” she said, adding that neither side wants an all-out war, “but both sides have said they are prepared for it.”

Gideon Levy, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz warned that “now things can really get out of control”.

“It’s a dramatic moment. We don’t know what will be next. There is a lot of uncertainty. The coming hours will be decisive,” he told Al Jazeera.

“I don’t see Israel ignoring this incident.”

Political analyst Ori Goldberg said he believed it was unlikely the attack would lead to an “all-out war” between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Both sides don’t want an all-out war, this has been made abundantly clear”, he told Al Jazeera, and noted that the attack took place on Israel’s periphery, rather than in its heartland. “I don’t think that this will be enough to take us to an all-out war,” he said.

The attack on the football pitch followed an Israeli attack in Lebanon that killed four fighters on Saturday.

Two security sources in Lebanon said the four fighters killed in the Israeli attack on Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon were members of different armed groups, with at least one of them belonging to Hezbollah.

The Israeli military said its aircraft had targeted a military structure belonging to Hezbollah after identifying fighters entering the building.

Hezbollah claimed it carried out at least four attacks, including with Katyusha rockets, in retaliation for the Kfar Kila attacks.

The Golan Heights, a 1,200sq-kilometre (463sq-mile) plateau, is Syrian territory that Israel occupied in 1967 after the Six-Day War, before annexing it in 1981, a move the United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned.

Many residents in the territory are Syrian Druze, some of whom have Israeli citizenship.

PARIS (AP) — Rain that fell throughout the opening ceremony continued on Saturday, leading to postponements and delays at the Paris Olympics.

The first event of the skateboarding competition, men’s street skateboarding, was postponed from Saturday until Monday because of the showers. The women’s event is scheduled for Sunday.

Skateboarding is held at the outdoor venue of La Concorde Urban Park in Paris. World Skate, the sport’s governing body, cited adverse weather conditions for the move.

Rain has been one of the big stories early in the Games after constant showers and occasional downpours served as the backdrop for the opening ceremony. As of 10 a.m. CEST (4 a.m. ET), much of the rain had cleared from the area.

The start of play in the scheduled tennis matches on the 10 smaller courts at Roland Garros was delayed because of rain, but action was able to get going in the two main stadiums, which both have retractable roofs. That included the match at Court Philippe Chatrier between No. 1 Iga Swiatek of Poland – who has won four of the past five French Open titles at the same site being used for the Olympics – and Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania.

Sunny skies are expected to return to the area Sunday, but the rain could have a lasting impact on the Paris Games.

The rain could threaten the water quality for swimming in the Seine when the triathlon begins Tuesday. Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 organizers, addressed the situation at the daily press briefing.

“We are still looking at the forecast for the coming days,” Estanguet said. “They expect that it will rain till 5 p.m. today and then it should be fine.

“The team is very confident that it will be possible to have the (triathlon) swimming part in the Seine.”

The triathlon begins with the men’s event Tuesday, swimming from 8 a.m. CEST (2 a.m. ET) at the Alexander III bridge next to Grand Palais.

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AP Sports Writers Graham Dunbar and Steve Whyno and AP Tennis Writer Howard Fendrich contributed to this story.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing off New South Wales in Australia when he was attacked by a shark, New South Wales police said. 

“Clinging to life, he was able to catch a wave back to the beach,” a fundraising site set up for McKenzie said. “A retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before the victim could be airlifted to hospital.”

Amazingly, McKenzie’s leg washed up on the beach after the attack and doctors are hoping to be able to reattach it. 

McKenzie has undergone surgery and remains in critical but stable condition, according to ABC News Australia and the fundraising site. 

MASSIVE BULL SHARK WEIGHING NEARLY 500 POUNDS CAUGHT AT ALABAMA FISHING TOURNAMENT

Luke Short, who makes McKenzie’s surfboards, told ABC they had all hoped “we heard it wrong.”

“It’s amazing that he’s survived,” he added. 

His surf team RAGE called McKenzie the “toughest person we know.”

“Sending love to @kai_mckenzie the youngest RAGE boy on the team and the toughest person that we know,” the team wrote on Instagram this week. “Yesterday he was attacked by a shark and has lost his leg while surfing in Port Macquarie. He has been through a lot breaking his back last year, he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible. He is an inspiring person. The whole rage gang loves you man and we will see you soon.”

SHARK BITE REPORTED AT HILTON HEAD ISLAND RESORT IS FIRST REPORTED SHARK BI OF YEAR ON ISLAND

“Clinging to life, he was able to catch a wave back to the beach,” a fundraising site set up for McKenzie said. “A retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before the victim could be airlifted to hospital.” (Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

Kirran Mowbray of NSW Ambulance called McKenzie “courageous” during a 7News Sydney on-air broadcast. “He turned around, caught a wave into shore.”

She added that the off-duty officer “used the lead off a dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man’s leg and essentially saved his life.”

Kevin Young, vice president of Bite Club, a shark attack survivors club, told the broadcast: “And I know he lost a leg and they packed it with ice and they’re going down to try to reattach it. That just blows my brain that that might be possible.” 

Mid North Coast Police Chief Insp. Stuart Campbell said they would be working to try to find out what type of shark bit McKenzie. 

Port Macquarie Hastings Lifeguards later reported the beach had reopened after the attack.