In northern Israel, residents shocked by intensified exchanges of fire with Lebanon

Israeli strikes and Lebanese retaliation continued on Monday, plunging the civilian population into a climate of threats and uncertainty.

The exchanges of aerial fire are becoming more intense on both sides and the words are getting harsher. The war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is entering a “new phase” assured one of the leaders of the Islamist movement in Beirut, that of a “open settling of accounts”. Israel can “reach anyone” threatens its citizens, warns the head of the Israeli army. With Hezbollah’s possible strikes in northern Israel, schools remain closed Monday, September 23. In a sign of a more intense conflict, rockets are passing through the Israeli Iron Dome, as in Kiryat Bialik north of Haifa.

Rescuers assess the damage around the site where the rocket landed between two houses, where three residents were injured. Next door, the blast shattered the windows of Shir’s apartment: “My children were very scared, I’m fine but I’m still shocked. But we’re used to it. We were born like this, we grew up like this, and maybe we’ll die like this.”

Now the young woman fears further attacks: “I was always telling my husband ‘don’t worry, it won’t happen, it can’t happen’… And today that’s what happened. We say to ourselves that after that, safety is not guaranteed for anyone.”

“I saw everything right above my head.”

Simon, a trader in Kyriat Bialik

to franceinfo

The shopping centre next door has been unusually quiet since the explosion. “I have seen and heard everythingreports Simon, a trader, originally from France and who has lived in the town for 28 years. This tension like now, it’s the first time. There, we feel the war coming, It’s getting worse every day. So Israel attacks harder and they respond harder. We attack even harder. It’s an impossible situation.” The rocket fell, he said, 30 meters from a friend’s house.

This climate of uncertainty and threats also affects the economy and its kitchen sales business.Life is very difficult and the tension is too high. We don’t know what will happen in an hour, we can’t know”confides Simon, who has been asking himself a lot of questions since October 7.

This strike convinced him to leave, to leave Israel. “I don’t think Hezbollah will give in and leave, they want to destroy us. They want to destroy Israel, they don’t care. We have no choice, we’re not going to stay here, it’s not possible. I plan to move to the United States. My son bought me an apartment there, so I’ve already bought tickets.”he explains.

Many of those who remain refer to a year, 2006, when open war between Lebanon and Israel lasted more than a month.