Herzog urges Israelis to support Upper Galilee residents amid ceasefire

President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday visited Israel’s northernmost town of Metula, calling on citizens to travel to the country’s north to support local businesses and the tourist industry that have suffered financially in the wake of the ongoing war against Hezbollah.

“Now is the time to come to the north! Travel, enjoy yourselves ... and show solidarity with the residents,” Herzog said in Hebrew in an X post.

“Our victory will be to see more families, more children and more citizens choosing to build their homes in the north, to return, and to make the north flourish,” he continued.

The president went on to emphasize that the communities situated near the Lebanese border “are not the periphery—they are the heart of the land.”

Israel’s “supreme duty” is to ensure the security of its citizens along all the borders of the country, Herzog said.

Over the weekend, Israel and Hezbollah agreed to halt fire, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to lift the security restrictions that were in effect for dozens of communities along the northern border.

The safety guidelines were lifted on Monday morning.