Last Israelis in bombed out Metula hope for Lebanon ceasefire to rebuild lives

By Jonathan Saul

METULA, Israel (Reuters) – When darkness descends on Metula, Tamira Lang, one of the Israeli border town’s last remaining residents, switches off her house lights to avoid detection by Lebanese group Hezbollah, whose fighters sit a few kilometres away.

Lang, who is part of the town’s small rapid response security force made up of local volunteers, has already been wounded by shrapnel from a projectile and had to put out a fire in her next door neighbour’s home caused by a salvo.

“We live in darkness. If they (Hezbollah) see light, I have no house,” she said, surveying damage to nearby homes that overlook the nearby Lebanese border.

Metula saw most of its population of some 2,200 people leave in early October last year after Hezbollah launched rocket attacks against Israel on Oct. 8 in solidarity with Palestinians after Islamist group Hamas launched a devastating raid on Israel, prompting Israel’s war in Gaza.

The U.S. has led a renewed push in recent days to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah while Israeli forces have stepped up their offensive seeking to ensure that over 60,000 evacuated Israelis can return to their homes in the north.

A senior U.S. official said on Tuesday there was a “real opportunity” to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and that gaps were narrowing. Sirens went off in Metula on Tuesday.

Parts of Metula, which was founded in 1896, have been destroyed with many houses smashed up by mortars or missiles fired from Lebanese villages that surround it, Reuters found on a visit this week to the town, which currently remains a closed military zone.

The periodic sound of artillery from Israeli batteries firing into Lebanon and a burning smell from bombed homes are constant reminders of the day-to-day reality for those who remain in Metula.

“You don’t hear the sound of birds anymore,” Lang said. “The silence can also be deafening,” she said.

Hezbollah has fired over 16,000 missiles at Israel, while massive Israeli airstrikes and ground operations have left 1 million Lebanese uprooted from their homes.

For Liat Cohen-Raviv, a Metula resident currently living in the northern Israeli town of Rosh Pina after being evacuated, people will need assurances before they move back.

“In order for me to come back, I need to know, first of all, that it’s safe, that I’m protected,” she said, noting past agreements had collapsed.

Cohen-Raviv said Israelis in the north were nervous after Israel released details last month which it said showed Hezbollah had dug tunnels under the border, with the aim of launching attacks into Israeli territory.

This has led to fears of a follow up to the Oct. 7 Hamas’ attacks in Israel that killed some 1,200 people, with 101 hostages still being held in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed nearly 44,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry.

A source close to Hezbollah told Reuters last month the tunnels detected by Israel were built for its Radwan special forces units to one day enter the Galilee region of northern Israel.

“Today, more than ever, you can’t allow this to be a weak border,” Cohen-Raviv said.

“Metula will need at least a year just to recover in terms of infrastructure,” she added.

A survey published by Israeli think tank INSS in early November found 80% of those polled – comprising Jews and Arabs living in Israel – said the current security situation does not allow the majority of residents to return to northern towns.

Ruslan Bachinsky, who was born in Ukraine, is also part of Metula’s security detail. His pregnant wife has been evacuated. He says Israel’s operations have meant Hezbollah is firing less at the town.

“But we know that something can happen in a minute … there is danger all the time,” he said. “I think we (need) more time (to finish operations in Lebanon) … Hezbollah is still next to Metula.”

“We are expecting a girl in four months and my wife doesn’t want to come back to Metula. So this is a problem. So unfortunately, it will take time.”

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul, Jill Gralow and Thomas Peter; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)