Home Front Command chief meets northern leaders amid escalating Hezbollah drone attacks

IDF Home Front Command chief Maj. Gen. Shai Klepper visited local authorities in northern Israel earlier this week amid escalating cross-border attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, the military says.

During the visit, Klepper toured the Upper Galilee Regional Council, Kiryat Shmona and the Mevo’ot Hermon Regional Council, where he met with local leaders, emergency response officials and parent representatives.

“The continuous connection with local authorities and our joint work are a central component of our ability to strengthen residents’ security and provide the most precise response possible to civilians,” Klepper says in remarks released by the IDF.

“We are operating in a complex and changing operational reality that requires us to constantly learn, improve and adapt ourselves,” he adds, saying the Home Front Command “continues operating around the clock” with the goal of “saving lives.”

The visit comes after northern leaders criticized the Home Front Command last month over its decision at the time to classify northern border communities as “green” under its color-coded alert system, allowing full civilian activity despite ongoing attacks from Lebanon.

Most northern border communities are now designated as “yellow,” permitting in-person schooling and limited gatherings provided adequate shelters are accessible nearby.

Yesterday, local leaders announced schools and kindergartens would remain shut until further notice, in a decision made independently and without instruction to do so from the Home Front Command.