"Numerous fatalities are anticipated": Residents close to Israel-Lebanon border express concerns over potential retaliatory escalation
"The Jordan River has its source in this region, and there are numerous beautiful lakes and streams that leave you awestruck. Yet, we'd constantly gaze upon the view and question, 'When? When will it occur?'" shared a 32-year-old IT specialist with CNN.
"We presumed November 7 (incident) would unfold here, we often discussed it," he confided, lighting up a cigarette outside a hotel on the Sea of Galilee's shore, roughly 40 miles from Kiryat Shmona.
Pinhas' parents and his elderly grandmother have been residing in this hotel for nearly a year, since they were displaced from Kiryat Shmona following the November 7 tragedy. Pinhas spent several months crashing with friends in Tel Aviv before renting an apartment there; he often visits his family.
Kiryat Shmona, nestled in an Israeli enclave bordered by Lebanon to its south and east, just a couple of miles away from the border, lies on the opposite side of Israel where the Hamas-led incidents took place last year. However, its proximity to Lebanon makes it vulnerable to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group that has been persistently attacking Israel over the past year, supporting Hamas.
Israel retaliated with cross-border attacks, and both sides have been involved in a tit-for-tat escalation since November 8. Hezbollah has declared it won't halt its strikes on Israel until a truce is reached in Gaza.
The city was struck multiple times in recent months, with the latest incident being a barrage of rockets that caused substantial damage and several fires on a Friday morning, according to Israeli police.
However, Pinhas told CNN it wasn't the rockets that motivated his family to vacate their home. Rockets have always been a concern in Kiryat Shmona.
"During my childhood, it wasn't just sirens like now... it was someone shouting from a car, 'Everybody to shelters! Everybody to shelters!' And in school, when the alarm rang, nobody panicked because we were accustomed to it," he recounted.
"Everybody would head to the shelter, you'd hear the explosions and then wait for someone to give the all-clear to leave," he elaborated, adding that while the locals had grown accustomed to aerial attacks, there was always the concern that Hezbollah might attack from the ground.
"There was a warning a few months before November 7, stating that the upcoming war wouldn't solely involve rockets. They would come here. There are numerous tunnels, and we need to prepare ourselves... but we didn't. People are shortsighted. Until something happens, you don't truly act," he said.
But then occurred the shock of the occurrences, when Hamas and other militant groups killed more than 1,200 individuals in southern Israel and abducted approximately 250 more into Gaza.
"Everything transformed then," Pinhas remarked. "We believed our military was powerful and prepared, and suddenly, you see this, gunfire everywhere. I had three friends who were at the Musaf festival, one of them perished, two were saved," he said.
‘Many will perish’
The Israeli government insisted that individuals like Pinhas' safety is among the reasons why it must act aggressively against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
During the United Nations General Assembly meeting last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that Hezbollah had launched over 8,000 rockets at Israel since November 8, forcing around 60,000 individuals to flee their homes near the border.
"Israel has been enduring this intolerable situation for almost a year. Today, I've come to say enough is enough. We won't rest until our people can safely return to their homes," he stated.
Shortly after Netanyahu's speech at the UN, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a lethal strike on Beirut, targeting and killing Hezbollah's long-term leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Three days later, the IDF announced it was launching a 'limited and localized' ground operation in Lebanon. The IDF's top spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the mission aimed to prevent a November-7 style attack by Hezbollah and 'to enable all 60,000 Israelis to safely return back to their homes in northern Israel.'
However, at least some of the individuals whose safety Netanyahu invoked during his speech are now expressing doubts.
Speaking to CNN on her balcony in the village of Shtula, Ora Hatan expressed her concern about the possibility of the army's actions in Lebanon being too costly for Israel.
"I believe that it's extremely risky for the army to enter Lebanon, because there are numerous perils... I believe that we can safeguard the border with planes, or go in and out... but not stay (in Lebanon), it's too risky," she said.
Hatan, whose home overlooks the Lebanese border, has spent her entire life in Shtula. She explained that she's concerned that the current warfare is far more deadly than it was in 2006, the last time Israel invaded Lebanon.
Pinhas, too, is divided about Israel's decision to penetrate the border.
"It's very tough. On one hand, I can say, yes, because we need to return home and bring peace to our town. So my first thought is we need to do something about it, because their (Hezbollah's) main objective is to kill us," he said.
"However, the other issue that's weighing on everyone's mind is that this situation is perilous, and it's expected to lead to numerous casualties. Hezbollah has a deep understanding of their territory, making it their turf of sorts. Unlike the 2006 conflict, this isn't a small-scale operation. We've given them ample time to prepare and stockpile weapons." He pointed out, referencing the 2006 Israeli incursion into Lebanon that lasted 34 days and ended in a standstill, claiming the lives of approximately 1,100 Lebanese individuals and around 170 Israelis.
For Lebanon, the death toll has surpassed that of the 2006 conflict. Since September 17, when Israel started its current bombing campaign, at least 1,401 individuals have perished in the country, according to CNN's tally, utilizing data from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Around 1 million people have been displaced, as mentioned by the official who oversees Lebanon's crisis management center.
The Israeli assault ranks as one of the most fierce in recent years, surpassed only by their bombing of Gaza.
The valley near Kiryat Shmona echoes with a regular sequence of loud explosions, providing a stark indication of the bombardment's intensity. A piercing boom when the artillery shell is fired, followed by a piercing whistle as it soars overhead. Subsequently, a heavy impact sound some distance beyond the border.
Throughout a one-hour span, while visiting the area on Thursday, CNN counted about 53 outgoing shells - approximately one per minute.
Once a city of around 22,000 residents, Kiryat Shmona has become a deserted town over the past year. The signs of destruction are omnipresent on its streets - shrapnel marks on buildings, damage from debris falling, and destruction from rocket strikes.
Thursday, celebrating the Jewish new year, saw the Pinhas family making a brief return to Kiryat Shmona. Their purpose, as Pinhas explained, was "to water the plants and feed the cats. There are numerous street cats in Kiryat Shmona, and they require feeding."
On Thursday, several rockets were launched at the city from Lebanon but were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense systems. A brilliant light faded into view as the intercept missiles ascended into the sky, neutralizing the threat.
Meanwhile, a black and white feline persisted in sifting through the wreckage amassed in front of a family home devastated by a previous rocket attack.
The world watched with concern as the November 7 tragedy unfolded in Kiryat Shmona, leading to the displacement of many residents.
Despite the constant threat of rockets, people in Kiryat Shmona had grown accustomed to living with the danger, as Pinhas recalled from his childhood experiences.
