Israel’s dilemma in confronting the threat from Hezbollah
Kiryat Shmona, in Israel’s far north, is a ghost town. Only a fraction of the city’s 24,000 residents remain, and the sounds of artillery, missiles, and drones fill the air constantly. The siren alerting residents to incoming fire goes off almost at the same instant as the impact, so close is the town to the Lebanese border and Hezbollah militiamen.
As the war in Gaza to the south grinds on in its second month, many Israelis are even more concerned about the rising tensions and daily cross-border exchanges with an old foe to the north – the powerful Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, which has fired into Israel daily since Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack from Gaza.
The threat of
