Israeli president reopens kibbutz kindergarten hit by Hezbollah missile

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday reopened a kindergarten in the Upper Galilee kibbutz of Manara that was destroyed by a Hezbollah missile during the fighting with the Iranian-backed terror proxy.

“A year after our visit to Kibbutz Manara—when it was damaged, under threat and nearly abandoned, in the shadow of a harsh war and heavy destruction—we returned this morning with great hope, to reopen the kindergarten that had suffered a direct missile strike,” Herzog tweeted.

“We were here during the darkest days. We walked among the ruins and felt immense pain,” the head of state continued. “It is deeply heartening to re-inaugurate this lovely kindergarten together with the girls and boys of Manara, to encounter the kibbutz members’ resilience, and to see our border community facing Lebanon coming back to life and flourishing.”

Herzog’s post contained footage of his Dec. 9, 2024, visit to the border community, which came weeks after a ceasefire went into effect, ending more than a year of war. Hezbollah had begun attacks on the Jewish state a day after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in the south on Oct. 7, 2023.

“What we’re seeing here is essentially a symbol of the Hezbollah launch—a Kornet missile entered from here and passed through the kibbutz’s kindergarten. We want the kindergarten renovated, and we want to see the children return as quickly as possible,” Herzog stated at the time.

The video then cut to footage from Thursday, in which Herzog declared, “We see a lovely kindergarten reopened, with these wonderful children, who are the future generation of the State of Israel. From here will come good news—from Manara and from the entire north. Rise and succeed!”

The Lebanese Armed Forces said Thursday it has completed the first phase of its national disarmament plan, expanding its control in the south as part of efforts to “extend the state’s authority exclusively through its own forces over the entirety of Lebanese territory.”

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement on Thursday, said that while Lebanese efforts were “an encouraging beginning,” they were “far from sufficient,” given Hezbollah’s Iranian-aided rearmament efforts.

“The ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States between Israel and Lebanon states clearly, Hezbollah must be fully disarmed. This is imperative for Israel’s security and Lebanon’s future,” Jerusalem said.