JEWISH WORLD

12 JEWISH WORLD • JUNE 14-20, 2024 Within /eabollah’s :ights Covering Israel’s north is an exercise in dodging danger By URIELHEILMAN H ere’s how you plan a report- ing trip to Israel’s northern war zone. You check the app of Israel’s Homefront Command to browse the locations of recent attacks by Hez- bollah. You’re looking for some- place that’s seen some action, but not too much — because you don’t have a helmet or flak jacket and you’ve made some vague promises to your wife. You find yourself puzzling over what shirt to wear: Should you go with olive green, which offers max- imal camouflage from among your limited wardrobe, or does green in- crease the chances that a Hezbollah sniper will mistake you for a soldier and identify you as a target? In any case, you’re wearing blue jeans, so you don’t exactly blend in. You de- cide to split the difference and go with a brown T-shirt. I live about two hours south of the conflict zone, so when I head toward the border with Lebanon, I’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of me, and I’m not sure where to go. Along the bor- der, Israel faces daily fire from Hez- bollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese group designated by numerous countries as a terror organization. More than 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes in north- ern Israel since October. The visible military presence in- creases the farther north I get. Ar- mored personnel carriers, army jeeps and military fuel trucks crowd the road, and the only travelers at rest stops seem to be soldiers. At one gas station, a handful of volun- teers work a barbecue, offering sol- diers free lunches, snacks and drinks. Closer to Kiryat Shmona, the largest Israeli city to be evacuated, the traffic thins out but there are still a few cars on the road. I’m not quite sure where the danger begins. I’m in the panhandle area of Israel known as the Finger of the Galilee, an outcropping of territory sur- rounded by Lebanon to the west and north and the Golan (formerly Syr- ia’s, now Israel’s to the east. I eye the sky above the mountain ridge to my left, scanning for projectiles. The ridge itself is inside Israel, but Lebanon is just beyond. In the conflict zone, it’s safer to drive fast then slow because it’s harder for terrorists to target a fast-moving vehicle with a shoul- der-borne weapon. It’s one of the many differences from normal life in this upside-down world, and it’s why all the traffic signals in Kiryat Shmona run continuously on flash- ing yellow lights. Stopping for a red light is just too dangerous. As I approach the southern en- trance to Kiryat Shmona, just a mile and a half from Lebanon and well into the evacuation zone, the quiet, continued on page 24 In the conÅict aone, you dri]e fast because it’s harder for terrorists to target your ]ehicle with a shoulder borne weapon. Military vehicles and cows are common sights in the Golan Heights but are usually not seen together. (Uriel Heilman) REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK © 2024 Ronald M. Dragoon eGift Cards Great for Dad! Purchase online at BensDeli.net. Father’s Day Specials! Big Ben Burger $24.99 Dine In Only. Includes choice of French fries, potato knish or deli side salad & a bottomless fountain soda. With a cold beer . . . . . $26.99 Self Service BBQ For 10 $239.90 15 Hebrew National ® Beef Franks & Rolls 10 Quarter Pound Beef Burgers & Buns 2-1/2 Ready-To-Eat-Or-Heat BBQ Chickens & Dinner Rolls 2 lbs. Fresh-Cut Cole Slaw 2 lbs. Homemade Potato Salad 20 Assorted Canned Sodas Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Ketchup, Ben’s Very Own Old Style Deli Mustard & Paper Goods Party Platter Plus Catering For 10 $199.90 3 Dozen Assorted Hors D’oeuvres Mix ‘n Match Mini-Knishes & Franks-in-Jackets NY Delicatessen Your Way (Choose 1) 3-1/2 lb. Cold Cut Platter with Rye Bread 11 Overstuffed Sandwiches 4 Foot Party Hero 11 wraps Salads & Condiments (All Included) Fresh-Cut Cole Slaw Homemade Potato Salad Relish Tray