EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Saturday condemned as a "bloodbath" the rocket attack on Majdal Shams in which 12 people were killed and called for an independent probe.
“Shocking images from the soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams. I strongly condemn this bloodbath,” Borrell wrote in a post on social media site X.
“We need an independent international investigation into this unacceptable incident.We urge all parties to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation,” he added.
Borrell’s post did not mention Hezbollah, which denied responsibility for the attack, though IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari rejected that denial in remarks on Saturday night.
"In the past hour, Hezbollah has been lying and denying its responsibility for the incident. Our intelligence is clear - Hezbollah is responsible for killing innocent children. Ten-year-old children. And once again, the brutality of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization was exposed. This is a very serious incident and we will act accordingly. The IDF will do everything to protect the citizens of the State of Israel," said Hagari.
Israeli political correspondent Tal Schneider reposted Borrell’s post and wrote, “What investigation do you need???”
“Iranian backed Hezbollah terror organization has been shooting rockets at Israeli villages for 9.5 months now. They joined Hamas on Oct7th, unprovoked by Israel. This new to you?” she added.
Borrell has been critical of Israel throughout the war, which began after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
In January, he asserted that Israel had "created" and "financed" Hamas. Later, he repeated that claim when pressed about it by reporters.
Borrell previously condemned Hamas for using "hospitals and civilians as human shields" in Gaza, but also urged Israel to show "maximum restraint" to protect civilians from the war it is waging against Hamas.
In March, the EU foreign policy chief suggested that Israel was using hunger as a “war arm” in the Gaza Strip.