A picturesque nature reserve in the Golan Heights offers respite from the turmoil of war raging in Gaza. But as they hike among the green hills, Arye and Ditza Alon wonder if this tranquility could soon vanish amid rising tensions with Hezbollah militants in neighboring Lebanon.
The Alons reflect on the dilemma facing Israel – is it better to launch a preemptive strike against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, or wait and potentially face a bigger war later? Hezbollah has a massive arsenal of rockets and a battle-hardened fighting force. But a new war now would bring immense suffering on both sides.
“It’s a big question,” says Ditza, considering the risks. A war could claim many military and civilian lives. But allowing Hezbollah to grow unchecked could enable attacks like those from Hamas that triggered the Gaza conflict.
Israel has warned Hezbollah to halt its near daily border attacks and withdraw its fighters about 20 miles from the frontier. But experts say a Gaza ceasefire may only shift Israel’s focus to the north.
Some 10 soldiers and six civilians have died on the Israeli side since fighting erupted months ago. Hezbollah has lost hundreds of fighters. Tens of thousands have fled their homes.
While mediators hope for a Gaza truce soon, many Israelis fear the violence could boil over to engulf the north at any time.
We understand that if there won’t be a war…then what happened in Gaza could happen again,” says Ditza, referring to the Hamas attacks in October that ignited fighting. Hamas and Hezbollah are aligned in their hostility toward Israel.
Her husband Arye asserts a war with Hezbollah is inevitable. If the militants are not pushed back beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon, he says, “what happened in Gaza will happen in the north, maybe not tomorrow, but after five or 10 years.”
On Monday, Israel launched rare airstrikes on the Hezbollah stronghold of Baalbek, about 60 miles north of the border. Hezbollah unleashed rocket barrages in response.
The mounting violence has not deterred the Alons from hiking just 10 kilometers from Lebanon. But they know the situation could spiral out of control at any time.
Ditza expects that once Gaza operations wind down, there will be “more noise up north.”
Israel insists a truce in Gaza will not halt its efforts to evict Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, by diplomacy or militarily. “If anyone thinks that when we reach a deal to release hostages in the south and the firing stops it will ease what is happening here, they are wrong,” says Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The United States and France have urged a diplomatic solution. But after months of clashes, many believe war is imminent if negotiations fail.
Hezbollah may even launch a surprise attack, calculating that Israel will attack eventually anyway after Gaza.
“They might respect the truce, but we are not going to respect the truce with Hezbollah,” says former Israeli general Amir Avivi.
After Gaza, he asserts, the focus shifts to Hezbollah. Israel wants a diplomatic solution but that could prove difficult. If it fails, “then war is imminent.”
In such a war, Hezbollah’s massive rocket arsenal could rain destruction on Israel’s cities and towns. Israel would likely target Lebanese infrastructure along with Hezbollah strongholds.
On hillsides near Lebanon, Ditza says she is ready for anything – even having to suddenly evacuate their home if conflict erupts.
As the couple complete their hike, rockets are fired from Lebanon and Israeli jets streak overhead. The scenic landscape where they stand could quickly transform into a war zone.
The long-simmering tensions with Hezbollah now seem headed toward a boiling point. Israel faces an agonizing decision – launch a preemptive assault in hopes of dealing a crushing blow to the militants? Or gamble that delayed action may result in an even more devastating war in the future?
For the Alons gazing out from the heights of the Golan, the dilemma reflects a deeper uncertainty gripping a nation scarred by decades of conflict. After so much violence and loss, is lasting peace and security no more than a fading dream? Or can new generations finally break free from the trauma haunting those before them to forge a different future?
As Israel navigates its course amid the perilous landscape of the Middle East, the answer remains veiled in the fog of war.
