We drive along the border between Israel and Lebanon. The checkpoints are close. Although Israel’s focus right now is planning a possible ground offensive to crush the Hamas movement, Israel must keep an eye on Hezbollah’s activities in the north. Soldiers stand by the roads and check all cars that want to enter the villages near the border. The tanks are on the loading floor of a truck train, and can be quickly transported all the way to the border. The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon is threatening to join the war. – We are fully prepared and when the time has come to take action, we will do it, says deputy leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement Naim Qassem. In that case, it will escalate the conflict and send it in a new and unpredictable direction. Tank at the border between Israel and Lebanon. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news – A ghost town While the Israeli soldiers have moved into the area along the border, the inhabitants of several towns have left. They fear attacks from the Hezbollah militia. – It has become a ghost town, says a woman in the town of Shlomi. She will not give her name. Usually over 7,000 inhabitants live here. Now most have fled. Another who has remained is Sima Kitcher. When news meets her on the street, she has just been to the shop to stock up on food and water. Shlomi – like a ghost town. Photo: Lokman Ghorbani / news – We don’t have money for a hotel. That is why we have stayed here, she says. – Are you scared? – No, so far it has gone well, but we don’t know what will happen in the near future, she says. Sima Kitcher (TV) cannot afford to flee, so she has the choice to stay in the village. Photo: Lokman Ghorbani / news Kitcher says she feels safer now that Israeli soldiers have taken over the city. One of them is Arie Pelta. He usually works as a surgeon. – I volunteered. I left my family to be here. My job is not to kill people – but to save lives. That’s what I think I’m doing here too, says the 50-year-old. Surgeon Arie Pelta has reported for duty. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news More attacks from Hezbollah Surgeon Pelta stands with other reserve soldiers at the entrance to Shlomi. Some have volunteered while others have been conscripted. One of them is normally a flight attendant, but now she believes that the only right thing is to join in defending the country against what Israel perceives as a threat to their existence. Flight attendant who has volunteered to serve in the army. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news This week there have been several scattered attacks here. Rockets have been fired across the border and armed fighters crossed from Lebanon on Wednesday. Three Israeli soldiers died in the skirmishes. An Israeli military post has been attacked with an anti-tank missile, for which Hezbollah has claimed responsibility. All this reinforces the fear that the conflict could spread in the region. More skirmishes On Tuesday, three Israeli soldiers were killed when they stopped a group of armed men from crossing the border. – From the moment the attack on Gaza began, I have seen signs that Hezbollah was trying to prepare. Maybe that was part of the plan. It is clear that Hezbollah and Hamas are coordinating, says Major General Eitan Dangot in the reserve force. Major General Eitan Dangot. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Dangot has for a number of years worked closely with the government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including as coordinator for government activities in the territories (COGAT). He believes that Hezbollah has not yet decided on the next step. – There are strong forces that are preparing an escalation. But in my opinion, Hezbollah has not received the green light primarily from Iran, he says. Bitter over the 2006 war Hezbollah and Israel have a long history of conflict. On a summer day in July 2006, 17 years ago, Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. They demanded the release of Lebanese held captive by Israel. Israel interpreted it all as a declaration of war, and invaded Lebanon with bombers and ground forces. After 34 days, Israel and Hezbollah concluded a ceasefire. 165 Israelis had been killed. On the Lebanese side, over 1,000 Lebanese were killed. The war took a particularly hard toll on the Lebanese civilian population. If Hezbollah enters wholeheartedly, it will take the war to a completely different level. The Islamist movement has a huge arsenal of rockets and missiles, capable of hitting virtually any part of Israel. Many of the militia’s fighters are well trained after fighting in Syria on the side of President Bashar Al Assad. In response to this threat, the US has moved the world’s largest aircraft carrier closer to Israel in the Mediterranean. They want to deter Hezbollah from fully joining the war. Nevertheless, the major general believes that Israel must continue to prepare for this. – Israel has been prepared for this for a long time and can use a lot of force against Hezbollah. Hezbollah has great power. They have a large rocket and missile capacity. But even during a war with Hezbollah, we will not be distracted from our primary objective. To destroy Hamas, he says.
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Israelis in the north flee – fear attacks from Hezbollah – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
