Over 60% of buildings in Metula damaged by Hezbollah: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Today 08:31

Although the war on the northern front had officially ended, frustration mounts in Metula as the actual extent of damages inflicted by Hezbollah remains unknown.

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A screenshot from the Lebanese Resistance Military Media video showing a burning house in which Israeli occupation forces were targeted in Metula on June 24, 2024. (Military Media)

More than 60% of buildings in Metula were struck and damaged by Hezbollah's rockets, Israeli media reported, noting that the settlement particularly came under intense fire and anti-tank missile attacks every day for a year and two months.

Israeli media further announced that the settlement had been transformed into a closed military zone after suffering heavy blows due to Hezbollah's operations.

Furthermore, over 450 houses in the settlement sustained damages to at least 60% of their structure.

Metula Mayor David Azoulay described the settlement's current state, saying "We are currently in a very complicated situation, we do not really know what is left in Metula due to the destruction."

Drawing comparisons to the Har Tzvia neighborhood, facing Odaisseh and Kfar Kila, Azoulay said at least 75% of the 100 homes in the area have been impacted, with most damages requiring demolition.

Additionally, 20,000 damage claims were filed in the north, according to Azoulay, who further stressed that direct damage in the occupied north is estimated at more than 2 billion shekels [more than 550 million dollars].

The roads across the settlement were also destroyed by tank tracks.

Extensive damage with at least 2,874 direct hits across north 'Israel'

Israeli media confirmed that the extent of the damage caused by Hezbollah's operations over the past months is becoming clearer as some settlers return to the north, where frustration prevails among local authorities and residents.

In this context, "Israel's" Channel 12 reported data from the Ministry of Security, revealing 2,874 direct hits by Hezbollah fire in settlements along the "frontline with Lebanon," stretching from Kiryat Shmona in the al-Jalil Panhandle to Rosh Hanikra in western al-Jalil.

The occupation's Property Tax Authority recorded damage to 9,000 buildings and over 7,000 vehicles, all completely destroyed by Hezbollah fire in northern Israeli-occupied settlements.

However, these figures exclude many unreported damages in the north due to settler displacement or because some affected areas remain off-limits by order of the Israeli occupation forces.

In the same context, Channel 12 highlighted the "severe frustration among Israelis and local authorities in the north," noting the lack of an organized plan for the return of settlers. Hedar Getsis, Channel 12’s northern correspondent, emphasized the existence of "significant gaps in fortifications."

Getsis added that the government has provided no support for the north or its future, stating that "no decision has been made about what will happen after" the ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and the Israeli occupation. He explained that "no budget has been approved for frontline settlements," where basic facilities like schools remain unprepared, adding that "there will be no schooling tomorrow in all these settlements and in the Golan Heights."