Wilfried Devillers (in Israel) / Photo credits: MOSTAFA ALKHAROUF / ANADOLU / ANADOLU VIA AFP
A few days after Iran’s attack on Israel, the IDF continues its operations against militias close to Tehran. The border between the Jewish state and Lebanon, subject to regular strikes by Hezbollah, is deserted by its inhabitants. Europe 1 went to Kiryat Shmona.
Since last weekend and the massive strikes by Iran and its allies against Israel, the Upper Galilee and its few inhabitants have been living under tension. This northern region, nestled between Lebanon and Syria, suffers daily strikes from Hezbollah. Europe 1 went to Kiryat Shmona, less than three kilometers from the Lebanese border.
“There has just been a shooting”
In the parking lot of the last supermarket still open in the city, Sagit pushes a shopping cart overflowing with provisions. When asked about Hezbollah strikes, a distant sound caught his attention. “There are bombings every day here, there has just been a shot, there was no siren…”, she says at the microphone of Europe 1. The drones that she heard them passing in the distance. At the same time, the young woman receives a notification on her phone, these drones have just crashed on a military base in the neighboring town.
Sagit, accustomed to it, is not startled but with the recent escalation of tensions with Iran, the few inhabitants of the region fear that the situation, already untenable, will deteriorate even further.
Most residents evacuated
Margaux lives a few kilometers from Kiryat Shmona. “We are afraid to return here. Hezbollah throws bombs every time,” she breathes. Kiryat Shmona has become a ghost town for months and will remain so. Most residents were evacuated weeks ago. They only come back to collect a few things from their house before leaving immediately. Everyone knows that they will not return to their city before the end of tensions with Iran.