Beyond borders: How the northern front became Israel's greatest 'dilemma'

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Two days before marking the 200th day of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, which is the longest and most complex conflict since Israel was founded, this is how the towns in northern Israel looked.

On the northern front with Lebanon, the second front after Gaza, Israeli reports suggest that the scale of destruction caused by Hezbollah rockets and drones has exceeded six times that of the 2006 war. 

Additionally, over 120,000 Israelis from the border area were displaced to hotels inland, with no prospect of their return.

The destruction not only reached homes, infrastructure, educational institutions, and military camps but also extended to Israeli society, as incidents of domestic violence have sharply risen, and the divorce rate has increased due to anxiety and the repercussions of displacement.

Israeli officials' statements regarding the northern front being the biggest dilemma come in the wake of reports indicating no imminent prospects of ensuring calm to this front. 

As for statements about the possibility of residents returning to settlements in the area by next September, they are far from reality not only due to the absence of any progress on the political front and the lack of consensus among the leadership on a military solution but also because the period required for rebuilding the north will take months, an issue provoking leaders of border towns with Lebanon.

Amid the uncertainty regarding the situation in the north and the Gaza Strip, the resignation of the head of Israeli military intelligence, Aharon Haliva, came as an unusual step, leading some to speculate that it might mark the beginning of successive resignations.

In turn, Haliva called for the formation of an investigative committee to hold all officials accountable for the failures of October 7th.

Meanwhile, an Israeli report indicated that Tel Aviv is caught in a strategic "trap" that has made it confront Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank, Iran, and soon Turkey, which plans to send a flotilla of ships carrying aid to the sector. Israelis consider this step a provocation that may contribute to further escalation.