Israel's Northern Front Left Unprepared Amid Rising Tensions with Lebanon

A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine 

As northern towns entered a state of emergency on Thursday following heavy shelling by Hezbollah, which launched dozens of rockets causing direct damage to homes and properties, internal debate intensified over the future of this front.

Former commander Eliezer Marom, who is currently in charge of the northern region's rehabilitation project, threatened to resign due to the lack of operational mechanisms enabling him to carry out his task. This prompted the Interior Minister to call on the Prime Minister for immediate intervention to protect the border region.

Reports suggested that the Israeli government had not factored the northern front into its plans for the "Al-Aqsa Flood" war and that all the threats and promises to the northern residents were no more than illusions. 

The government has not allocated any funds for the northern front, neither for waging war on Lebanon nor for rebuilding the region, where sirens have not ceased since October 8th.

The Knesset's Finance Committee held a session to address Israel's ongoing economic decline, focusing on distributing the state budget without allocating any funds to support the north or address the needs of displaced residents.

This development comes as security tensions escalate along both sides of the border. Meanwhile, US efforts intensify to prevent the war from expanding into Lebanon. Diplomatic efforts, led by US envoy Amos Hochstein, are ongoing to warn of the consequences of any escalation on this front.

Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's promises to local leaders in multiple meetings to ensure the safety of the region and its residents, he has decided to delay discussing the army's plans for war with Lebanon, pending the outcome of diplomatic efforts, which remain without a set deadline as long as the war in Gaza continues.