Residents on both sides of the growing border conflicts say they have never sensed such anxiety.
They have packed their belongings and began to leave, fearing that their hometowns would become the primary front in a battle between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful military and political party.
“This time it’s a whole different kind of anxiety – terrible fear,” said Smadar Azoulai, a displaced resident of Kiryat Shmona, an Israeli border town.
“It’s not the same as it used to be. That was handled by us. “There were bombs, rockets, and we took cover in bomb shelters,” she explained, referring to previous clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.
Mohammed Mustafa, a Lebanese businessman from Marjayoun, was nine kilometers north of Kiryat Shmona and had his luggage packed.
“Sometimes you wake up thinking a massive battle with several countries is about to happen. Other times, you believe there will be no conflict. “No one knows what’s going to happen,” he explained.
Should Israel’s planned invasion of Gaza in retribution for a surprise strike by Hamas terrorists elicit a robust response from its regional adversaries, the border area might become a second front in a larger Middle Eastern war.
The Oct. 7 attack murdered almost 1,300 Israelis, making it the worst single day in Israel’s 75-year history.
Israel has replied with its most intense bombing of the blockaded Gaza Strip, killing over 2,700 Palestinians, and is planning a huge ground operation.
‘IT COULD BE WARPLANES TOMORROW.’
The short northern border of Israel with Lebanon, a mountainous territory by the sea, feels distant from the flat, scrubby Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave 200 kilometers (130 miles) away on Israel’s southwestern boundary.
However, Iran, which backs Hamas and Hezbollah, stated on Tuesday that “preemptive action” against Israeli strikes on Gaza might be expected in the coming hours. Should Hezbollah become involved, Israel has vowed to destroy Lebanon.
Fear of a huge fire has dispersed residents along the border. This week, Israel ordered the evacuation of 28 communities bordering Lebanon, forcing many residents to relocate to vacation areas farther south.
Meanwhile, Lebanese civilians have moved north to villages and cities they think would not be targeted by Israeli artillery.
“Today, it’s just a few shells; tomorrow, it could be warplanes, road closures, fuel shortages, and hospital closures.” It is usual to witness an exodus. The saddest part is that we don’t know how long this will stay,” said Hussein, a border dweller from Lebanon who only supplied his first name.
Many Lebanese from the border have already moved in with families in Beirut, with plans to travel further north or into mountain areas that remained relatively safe during a month-long war in 2006 that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
The battle between Hezbollah and Israel destroyed large parts of southern Lebanon, but it began unexpectedly and without warning when Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli troops. This contrasts the steady buildup that has been taking place since October 7.
Hundreds of Israelis from northern kibbutzes said they were living out of luggage indefinitely along the Sea of Galilee.
“The whole kibbutz is here,” Dani Ayelet Parasol, a medical worker and inhabitant of Kibbutz Bar-Am, stated.
“The mood is one of fear, of uncertainty – when will it end, what will be our place, and what will happen to those whose lives were destroyed?” She stated.
On Tuesday, Israel’s military claimed it killed four persons who attempted to jump the border fence with Lebanon and set an explosive device, and intense shelling and gunfire continued throughout the day.
The latest flare-up has killed approximately a dozen Lebanese and Palestinian fighters, as well as three civilians, including Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah.
At least three Israeli troops have died in the conflict.
According to footage released by the organization, Hezbollah has targeted Israeli military stations, tanks, and surveillance equipment, while Israel has shelled border villages.
