On video: Interview with the head of the Matula Council David Azoulai after the shooting of the settlement 08.02.24/Yoav Itiel
A day of intense fighting in the north and the head of the Matula local council, David Azoulai is discouraged by the situation.
"Hezbollah is deliberately damaging the homes of citizens and it is sad that the state is silent, silent and disappearing and it is very sad that the decision makers have nothing to say to us and they do not make decisions either," he said.
"The government of Israel needs to wake up and the country's captains need to give the IDF the order to operate to the north and not for us to evacuate to the south." He estimates the number of houses that have been damaged in his settlement so far in the war at about 120, of which about 40-50 are heavily damaged, and about 10 "Total loss." "It's been like this for four months, unfortunately another house was damaged, and another resident that I have to inform him that it's even more difficult when he's displaced and we're not here
."
Tal, the sixth generation of the founders of the colony, whose home in the settlement on the border was damaged today at noon by a direct hit.
Fortunately no one was home but heavy damage was done to the property.
The missile penetrated the roof and caused a lot of destruction inside the house, especially in the living room and kitchen.
"This is the routine of our lives. They are destroying everything we built here with our own hands, it hurts our hearts," Tal said.
"We are waiting and feel that we are being put off. Yes we want to do something - we don't want to do something. We need to understand that we need to stop talking and confuse the brain and start an operation and this is the only solution there is. It hurts but there is nothing we can do. We are fighting for our country and its borders."
A direct hit to a house in Metula due to rocket fire/Yoav Itiel
A direct hit to a house in Metula due to rocket fire/Yoav Itiel
"It's along the whole section," adds the head of the council Azoulai, who during the intensity of the events moved to live in the council's HML.
"There is fighting here every day, including today," he said. "There is a significant war here in the north, and today was also a day of hard fighting, which, happily, ended with no casualties. But there is a lot of damage to property here, and we have to take that into account. You can't say houses are damaged, and in the end we will get there. Take care of it. The State of Israel displaced 80,000 residents and there is a war here and it ignores it. The equation needs to be changed and the IDF needs to be given everything it needs and a security strip forward into Lebanon and not back into the State of Israel and preferably one hour before.
" It has long been a ghost town. All the businesses are closed. Only the standby squad and the soldiers of the unit that the IDF sent to reinforce it are seen from time to time on the main street of a town that in normal years hosts in its hotel rooms and B&Bs the winter tourists who come to ski in Hermon.
After two consecutive weeks of rain, Nahal Eyon reserve is also closed.
Enormous amounts of water flow down the furnace drain.
The spirit of the soldiers is strong, they feel a sense of mission only asking to grant two wishes.
For a government that will give them the green light to act against Hezbollah and for a people that will maintain unity.
A direct hit to a Metula house due to rocket fire/Yoav Itiel
The nearby Kiryat Shmona is also abandoned.
Here, too, a building on the outskirts of the settlement was hit this morning by an anti-tank missile. An IDF soldier who was hit was rushed by military ambulance in a serious condition to Ziv Hospital in Safed.
After surgery he was out of danger, his condition improved and was defined as moderate.
Two more reservists were slightly injured by shrapnel in the western sector.
After each hit, the IDF attacked the sources of the fire. The army also conducts intensive training and prepares for any demand of the political echelon, in which case it fires.
The IDF attacked with artillery fire throughout the day the source of the fire from which the launch was detected towards the Kiryat Shmona area and other areas.
In addition, Air Force fighter jets attacked military buildings used by the terrorist organization Hezbollah in the areas of Kfar Kila and Tir Harfa in southern Lebanon.
The IDF spokesman said today that the 36th Division, the attack division of the Northern Command which has completed missions in Gaza, is deepening its readiness for the operational plans against the northern enemy - in defense and attack. According to the IDF, as part of the process of increasing readiness on the northern border, the 188th Brigade this week began a series of intensive training to strengthen The competence and readiness of the brigade's fighters.
The fighters of the brigade conducted combat in the space of dense and built-up neighborhoods, in winter weather conditions while training skills and techniques from the platoon level to the battalion combat teams.
A direct hit to a house in Metula due to rocket fire/Yoav Itiel
It was reported that the training is extensive and combines armored, infantry, engineering and artillery forces practicing against a northern enemy, after the maneuver in the Gaza Strip.
The training takes place under the leadership of the Northern Training Center (MLI).
"The training forces are assimilating the lessons learned from the fighting in Gaza and are making adjustments to fighting in the north, including the various ground and enemy challenges," said the IDF spokesman. "So far, over 50 battalion exercises and over 120 company exercises have been carried out in the northern sector."
But to the residents in reports about this Not enough.
"We are on the brink of despair," adds the head of the Metula council, Azulai, "I am naturally a very optimistic person who believes that Israel is very strong and if necessary we will give it all the time in the world.
But the Israeli government should give the IDF the order to start acting and start removing the threat of anti-tank fire in the range of 8-10 kilometers.
How can you be silent and receive these messages that another house was damaged and another house was damaged and not only in Metula but along the entire northern border.
Enough to be silent.
We've had enough of this and we're considering doing more things and maybe we'll move on to physical actions to get the State of Israel to already make the decisions it needs to make."
More on the same topic:
Matula
War of Iron Swords
Gaza war
north
Hezbollah
Lebanon