Fear stalks northern Israel after Beirut strike kills Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri
In coastal city of Nahariya, near border, residents worry that they will bear the brunt of Hezbollah revenge for assassination, attributed to Israel
Near Israel’s tense northern border with Lebanon, residents fear the killing of the deputy political leader of the Palestinian terror group Hamas in Beirut could spark a war on another front.
During nearly three months of fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Israeli army has also been responding to cross-border fire from Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group, which is allied with Hamas.
Hezbollah rocket fire along the boundary and into northern cities has forced the displacement of tens of thousands of residents. Several soldiers or civilians have been killed in Israel, and at least 143 Hezbollah operatives have been killed.
While the violence had already dampened the mood in the coastal city of Nahariya, the anxiety level shot up with the death of Hamas number two Saleh al-Arouri in a strike in a Beirut suburb on Tuesday.
Lebanese security officials and Hamas blamed it on Israel, which has not directly commented on the killing.
“In the morning, we didn’t know whether to send our children to school… fearing Hezbollah’s response to what happened yesterday,” said Lee Zorviv, who owns a clothing shop.
Hezbollah vowed Arouri’s killing would not go unpunished and labeled it “a serious assault on Lebanon… and a dangerous development.”
On Tuesday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind the assassination of Arouri, calling it “a major, dangerous crime about which we cannot be silent.”
Israel and Hezbollah fought a major war in 2006, which ended with a UN Security Council resolution that said Hezbollah must not maintain military presence near the Israel border. That part of the resolution has not been implemented.
United Nations peacekeepers who patrol the frontier warned on Wednesday that further escalation could have “devastating consequences.”
“We continue to implore all parties to cease their fire, and any interlocutors with influence to urge restraint,” said UNIFIL deputy spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel.
Iran-backed Hezbollah is believed to have amassed a considerable weapons arsenal in recent decades, while Israel has received military support from the United States.
Zorviv, in her 40s, said the school day was shortened and people were constantly checking their phones for updates.
“The situation’s really bad, really sad,” she said. “Morale is down.”
‘We’re scared’
The Gaza war broke out when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 that claimed the lives of around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Thousands of terrorists who burst through the border with Gaza also abducted at least 240 people of all ages — including children — who were taken as hostages into Gaza.
Vowing to destroy Hamas, remove it from power in Gaza and free the 133 remaining hostages, Israel has waged a relentless military offensive including a ground incursion. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Wednesday that over 22,300 people had been killed since the start of the war. Those figures cannot be independently verified and are believed to include some 8,500 Hamas fighters, as well as civilians killed by misfired Palestinian rockets. Another estimated 1,000 terrorists were killed in Israel during the October 7 onslaught.
While residents in Nahariya worry about war with Lebanon, their finances have already taken a hit. Shop sales have halved in recent weeks, Zorviv said, while some businesses have closed.
From the seafront, warships are visible beyond the fishermen and a handful of swimmers who brave the winter water.
A soldier described the area as a “closed military zone.”
From teenagers to the elderly, many spoke of fear gripping Nahariya.
In the city center, David, who declined to give his surname, predicted that more violence was inevitable.
“War will break out. Something will happen,” said the unemployed 54-year-old. “Either Israel will react strongly to Hezbollah, or they will respond [to the killing]… it’s only a matter of time.”
Following Arouri’s killing, the Israeli military said it was “in a very high state of readiness in all arenas.”
“We are highly prepared for any scenario,” army spokesman Daniel Hagari said, without directly commenting on the Beirut strike.
People were seen in the city carrying automatic weapons, some in military uniforms, others in civilian clothes.
“We’re scared,” said Zorviv. “We’re in a state of war.”
