“My young daughter had a nightmare of terrorists invading our town, and I told her not to worry, that it won’t happen again,” said Sarit Zehavi. “Then she asked me, ‘But what will happen in 20 years?’ ”
In the rugged northern reaches of Israel, the echoes of war reverberate daily. While Gaza still makes headlines, Israel has shifted its focus to its northern front, where it faces a formidable threat from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shia terrorist group in Lebanon.
Israel’s ongoing fight with Hezbollah has dramatically escalated since mid-September. In addition to intensified aerial attacks on Hezbollah positions, Israel has engaged in targeted assassinations, including the killing of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel has approved a U.S. plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, clearing a way for an end to the conflict that has killed thousands since it was ignited by the Gaza war over a year ago.
This violence has forced over 60,000 Israelis from their homes and displaced 1.2-million people in south Lebanon. Israel is grappling with two deeply entwined conflicts — one in the south with Hamas and another in the north with Hezbollah. But would a resolution with Hamas in Gaza lead to peace on the northern front?
Last month, I joined an Exigent Foundation media mission to Israel, where I witnessed what is unfolding and got an idea of what the future might hold for this lone Jewish state.
Zehavi, a retired IDF lieutenant colonel who founded the Alma Research and Education Center, which conducts research into Israel’s northern border security, shared her perspective as both a defence analyst and a mother living near the border.
The horrors of the October 7 attacks on southern Israel have left lasting scars, particularly on the women and children who witnessed unimaginable violence. For women living on Israel’s northern frontier, the nightmare of similar brutality at Hezbollah’s hands feels uncomfortably real.
“Those of us next to the north border are living with the horrors of the south,” Zehavi said. “We cannot accept that our daughters or ourselves will face the same risks as our sisters in the south.”
To this end, Israel’s new approach on its northern front is markedly more aggressive. In addition to air and artillery strikes, IDF troops have invaded Hezbollah strongholds in villages along the border, dismantling weaponry and military infrastructure the terrorist group has spent years building.
Despite these extensive military maneuvers, Hezbollah remains a potent force. With an estimated 25,000 short- and medium-range rockets, the group continues to launch daily assaults — using rockets, drones and anti-tank missiles — that wreak havoc on Israeli border communities. Families have evacuated, schools are closed and roads are risky to travel due to the threat of missiles.
“My life changed completely,” Zehavi said. “How do I get my daughter back to school? How do I have a normal life? How do I get a situation where I can drive on these main roads here?”
The extent of this conflict reveals the limits of military strategy alone. Despite intense IDF efforts, Hezbollah remains well-armed and entrenched. Zehavi highlighted how the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) — meant to act as a peacekeeping force in the region — failed to curb Hezbollah’s military buildup.
According to Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, “Hezbollah terrorists are using UNIFIL outposts as hiding places and as places of ambushes.”
The core of Israel’s northern mission is clear: end Hezbollah’s threat, once and for all. But Zehavi and other security experts remain cautious, knowing that without an international framework to prevent Hezbollah’s resurgence, gains on the battlefield may prove short-lived.
Israel is adamant that any ceasefire terms must include the freedom to stop Hezbollah from rearming. “A diplomatic arrangement can’t be like the last one,” Zehavi insisted. “We need a force that’s truly capable of monitoring and preventing Hezbollah from reestablishing itself along the border.”
So, will peace with Hamas mean peace with Hezbollah? Unlikely.
Hezbollah has its own agenda, tied to the strategic objectives of its primary benefactor, Iran. Its sustained conflict with Israel isn’t merely about Gaza; it’s about the broader ideological struggle between Iran and Israel, with Lebanon caught in the middle.
According to Zehavi, a lasting peace on Israel’s northern front requires more than military victories or temporary ceasefires — it demands a radical shift in Lebanon’s political landscape.
Hezbollah — which is designated a terrorist organization by Canada, the United States and many other countries — must be prevented from holding power within the Lebanese government, a position it has exploited to secure weapons and funding from Iran.
In this complex regional chess game, Israel is not solely fighting to defend its borders, it’s grappling with a deep-seated ideology that threatens both Israeli and Lebanese futures. While the battles rage on, many in northern Israel are left with the grim realization that peace may still be a distant hope.
“My mission for the next 20 years is to make sure Hezbollah doesn’t recover,” Zehavi concluded. “This isn’t just about securing the border — it’s about ensuring that our daughters don’t live under the same threat 20 years from now.”
National Post