Rocket exchanges have already taken place on both sides of this border, between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah, supported by Iran and with the support of Hamas.
A pungent smell spreads in the village of Liman, 674 inhabitants, a few kilometers from the border between Israel and Lebanon, the entrance to which is guarded by four Israeli army reservists. A rocket fell just ahead, in the middle of the pine forest, causing a fire. “I’m really sorry but I don’t have permission to let you in. The situation is very difficult for us”regrets one of the soldiers who guard this deserted Israeli town.
Because Liman is one of these localities from which the army has demanded the evacuation since October 7, 2023. Only a few reservists can and must remain to protect the places. If the village was evacuated, it is because it is only a few kilometers from this blue line, drawn by the UN in 2000: the border between Israel and Lebanon, contested at several points by both country. This may be the next flashpoint in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as Lebanese Hezbollah threatens to open a new front and rocket attacks have already taken place from both sides.
“35% of residents have already left”
From the road, you can clearly see this blue line, running alongside huge fields of banana trees whose fruits are no longer picked. Further away, in the village of Neve Zir, 200 families still live. “We are about 6 km from Lebanonexplains Peter Baruchel, 39, the representative of the village committee. For now, they have evacuated all the small towns that are located between zero and four kilometers from the border. We know that the next step is from 0 to 10. We are sure that we are on the list. 35% of residents have already left because they do not want to live amidst noises, bombs. There’s the whole army here.”
Six tanks are in fact parked just behind Peter. A drone is circling above the village but Meir, 76, assures that it will not leave.
“This is my home, I’ve fought two wars, I’m not going anywhere. There’s no way I’m leaving!”
Meir, resident of Neve Zirat franceinfo
“If the army asks me to evacuate, I will not rush to leaveassures Meir. They will have to try harder. I’ll try to stay, maybe they’ll let me.” On this northern border, the Israeli army indicates that four people have died since October 7 following Hezbollah fire, three soldiers and one civilian.
An underground hospital
Further south, around forty kilometers from the border, in the large city of Haifa, people are also preparing for a possible clash with Hezbollah. Rambam Hospital has transformed its underground parking lot into a hospital. It’s in the third basement that everything happens: 7,000m² of asphalt and concrete and hospital beds everywhere. “If you look closely, the entire electrical network, the oxygen network, everything is built inside the wall”underlines Dr. Avi Weissman, medical director of the hospital.
One service already welcomes its patients: pediatric dialysis. Because it would take 48 hours to move her, too long for young patients. Liat accompanies her son Adir, who suffers from a fatal kidney disease. “I am more reassured here, the service has hung drawings on the wall. We have the impression of being in a normal unit. We feel more secure”she confides.
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The total capacity of this underground hospital is 1,400 beds. It also has four operating rooms and a command post. Facilities created after the 2006 war with Lebanon and which have only been used once since, during the Covid crisis. Some retain trauma from this war against Lebanon, 17 years ago. Doctor Philippe Abecassis was already an anesthetist here in Rambam at the time. “We found ourselves in a somewhat difficult situation. We said to ourselves: ‘ok, the bombs may fall, where are we going to put the patients? ?‘, remembers the professional. We had to take them down into the cellars, underground passages absolutely not suited to that.”
“I remember doing epidurals in hallways and barely seeing what I was doing. It was really, really complicated.”
Dr. Philippe Abecassis, anesthesiologist in Rambamat franceinfo
Today, with this underground and autonomous hospital, which he compares to a submarine that can remain submerged for 72 hours, is he more reassured? Not really. “Treating patients in a parking lot like that is good for three, five or even ten days, but it’s only a huge room so it’s terribly inhumane. But we’ll cope. We’ll accept it and we’ll go.” says this Franco-Israeli who has been working here for 28 years. Because this war against the Lebanese neighbor, if he does not want it, he is convinced that it will take place. In the short or medium term.