Border Escalation: Rockets, Drones, and Political Turmoil

A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Without warning sirens or a defense system to counter them, more than a hundred rockets and drones from Hezbollah struck northern Israeli towns in the span of twenty-four hours until Wednesday morning. 

This escalation plunged the entire region into a state of high alert and emergency, prompting its residents to once again pressure the government for a swift decision regarding the border with Lebanon.

As town mayors threatened unprecedented measures, including resettling residents in the border area despite the grave risks to their lives, the head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council warned that maintaining the status quo would adversely affect the entire state. 

The indecision regarding the northern front has not only angered the residents of the north but also led them to view Israel's deployment of tents in the Gaza Strip, designated for refugees from Rafah, as a precursor to an invasion, placing them at the mercy of strategic calculations there.

Security officials have cautioned about the difficulties Israel will face in Rafah. The military cabinet and command have modified invasion plans for Rafah four times to date, aligning them with Washington's demand to relocate 1.4 million Palestinians from Rafah and ensure their security. 

The operation, spanning five weeks, involves dividing Rafah into zones for the military to enter after ensuring the evacuation of its inhabitants, with military operations there coordinated with Washington through a joint emergency war room.

Despite field developments, the ministerial council continued to discuss the latest draft of the prisoner exchange deal and the possibility of introducing amendments that could lead to its success, amid widespread public activism and escalating protests demanding the release of all prisoners.