Eleven children and teenagers, aged 10 to 20, were killed on Saturday after a Hezbollah rocket hit a soccer field near a playground in Majdal Shams and exploded in the area. Several leading international news outlets were careful to refer to the Golan Heights as a disputed territory in their reports of the tragic incident.
The New York Times wrote in their headline about the attack, "Rocket from Lebanon kills at least 10 in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights," with CNN taking a similar line: "At least 10 dead including children in rocket attack on football field in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israel blames Hezbollah."
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Headlines of rocket attack, scene of strike in Majdal Shams
(Photo: Reuters, via X, Screengrab)
Meanwhile, the BBC, which has never softened its stance regarding Israel since the war in Gaza broke out, chose the following headline: "Israeli media report at least nine dead and dozens injured in rocket strike on children’s football pitch in Israeli-occupied Golan Heights."
The Guardian's headline read, "Ten dead in rocket attack on Israeli-occupied Golan," with Sky News and France24 both referring to the Golan Heights as "occupied territory."
The United States, under former president Donald Trump’s administration, has recognized Israeli control over the Golan Heights, and the term "Israeli-controlled" reflects compromises made by U.S. media regarding the Golan Heights’ status in the eyes of the international community.
Outside the United States, however, international media continues to refer to the area according to international law, which doesn’t recognize the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.