Residents had warned politicians they were not welcome amid long-standing complaints the Arab ethnic group had been abandoned by the Israeli government.

Speaking on Monday, Mr Netanyahu vowed a “severe” response to the rocket strike.

“The state of Israel will not, and cannot, ignore this. Our response will come and it will be severe,” he said

Two members of Hezbollah were killed in Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon on Monday, but this was not thought to constitute Israel’s retaliation.

As Lebanon anxiously waited anxiously for the full response from Israel, Hezbollah said that it had begun moving “smart precision-guided missiles” into place to respond to any attack.

An official from the terrorist group told the Associated Press that it was ready to “fight without limits” in the event a full-blown war broke out, but that it too was seeking to avoid one.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has occurred almost daily since the Hamas massacre of Oct 7. More than 100,000 Israeli citizens have been evacuated from the country’s north amid regular rocket fire from the Iran-backed militant group.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran, are united in their aim to destroy Israel and liberate the Palestinian territories it occupies.

Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president-elect, warned Israel that an attack on Lebanon “could backfire and have severe consequences for the Zionists themselves”.

Israeli residents who have yet to leave evacuated villages in the Upper Galilee were on Monday warned “to be alert and attentive to instructions, to reduce gatherings and movement in the settlement”.

As Washington engaged with both Beirut and Jerusalem, Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, emphasised the “importance of preventing escalation” and finding a diplomatic solution in a phone call with Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel.

‘Nobody wants a broader war’

While Israel had every right to defend itself following nine months of daily attacks from Hezbollah, John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said the US did not believe the situation needed to escalate further.

“Nobody wants a broader war, and I’m confident that we’ll be able to avoid such an outcome,” Mr Kirby said in a call with reporters.

The US embassy in Beirut called on American citizens “to develop a crisis plan of action and leave before a crisis begins”, while Germany urged its citizens to “urgently” leave Lebanon.

German airline Lufthansa announced it was cancelling all flights to Beirut until Aug 5 as well as two night-time flights to Israel on Monday. Air France also suspended all flights to Beirut for Monday and Tuesday, saying the airline was “monitoring the situation in Lebanon in real time”.

Hezbollah denied firing the missile that killed the Israeli children, but its account of events was widely disputed by Western leaders.

The Iran-backed terror group announced the launch of the missile on its social media and only moved to deny responsibility when it landed on the sports field.

David Lammy, the British foreign secretary, condemned the attack and said Downing Street had been clear “Hezbollah must cease their attacks”.

Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, said the rocket fired from southern Lebanon was manufactured in Iran, “a rocket with a warhead of over 50 kilograms of explosives”.

Adrienne Watson, the US National Security Council spokesman, also blamed Hezbollah for the attack.

“It was their rocket and launched from an area they control. Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah,” Ms Watson said.