'We are frustrated': Head of Israeli 'Metula' settlement
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The head of the "Metula" settlement council says that having Israeli soldiers within the northern settlements is not a solution, nor does it provide security.
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The flags of Palestine (bottom) and Hezbollah (top) flutter in the foreground in the southern Lebanese plain of Khiam with the northern Israeli settlement of "Metula" in the background on October 10 2023. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)
Israeli media highlighted the frustration experienced by residents of northern Israeli settlements due to the Israeli government's handling of the tense situation along the border with Lebanon.
David Azoulay, the head of the "Metula" settlement council, told the Israeli Channel 13 that a situation under which a heavy presence of Israeli soldiers is present in "Metula" cannot be tolerated, implying that settlers "cannot enter" under such circumstances.
Azoulay underlined that having Israeli soldiers within the settlements is not a solution, nor does it provide security or a sense of security amid the ongoing situation.
He continued, "I want and ask the Israeli government to tell us only what it intends to do and when. This is what we want to know," adding, "We are frustrated."
A couple of days ago, the same Israeli official confirmed that all "civilian" infrastructure in Israeli settlements within 4 kilometers of the border with Lebanon is not operational due to ongoing Hezbollah attacks.
In a related context, the head of the Israeli occupation Regional Council in Upper al-Jalil, Giora Zaltz, commented on the fact that Islamic Resistance operations continue in the direction of northern occupied Palestine, criticizing the conduct of Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
In an interview for Israeli Radio 103FM, Zaltz said, “We are keeping the keys with (Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah and not with us, and he does as he sees fit,” referring to the intensity of the operations on the Lebanese-Palestinian border.
Israeli media previously reported that the Israeli occupation authorities evacuated new settlements in northern occupied Palestine, highlighting that these settlements had not been evacuated since 1948.
The confrontations in northern occupied Palestine between Hezbollah and the Israeli forces are proving painful for the settlers of the north, Israeli KAN public broadcaster correspondent Han Biar said on Tuesday.
Life is reportedly becoming more and more difficult due to the evacuations they must oblige with due to the extensive damages dealt to their homes, the Israeli journalist described.
Israeli Channel 13 correspondent, Shlomi Eldar, also emphasized that Israeli settlements such as "Metulla, Shtula, Kiryat Shmona, and others adjacent to the border with Lebanon are within the range of Hezbollah's missiles all the time."
"Hezbollah is present near the border and has stepped up its anti-tank missile attacks," Eldar mentioned, stressing that the attacks against Israeli sites have become "more accurate and dangerous."
This comes as the fighters of the Lebanese Islamic Resistance - Hezbollah continue to carry out operations against Israeli occupation forces on the borders with occupied Palestine in support of the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza, amid the ongoing Israeli brutal war on the Strip.
On Wednesday, the Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, underlined that the Lebanese Resistance group is on very high alert, affirming that the Lebanese front will remain open as long as the Israeli war on Gaza continues.
