My unit and tens of thousands of Israel Defense Force reservists rushed to Israel’s northern border on Oct. 7, 2023, to stop Hezbollah from flooding into northern Israel. Thank God we were successful in our mission and stopped Hezbollah from fulfilling their dreams of capturing the Galilee and massacring tens of thousands of Israelis.
Looking back after more than a year of war, we know if the troops stationed on the northern border at the time of the Oct. 7 attack had been overrun by an invasion from Hezbollah—better trained, organized and equipped than their Hamas counterparts—the massacre in Gaza would have been a mere preview of the devastation that would have unfolded.
During the five months my unit was stationed in the north, we spent significant time in Avivim, a small town overlooked by the Shi’ite Hezbollah-dominated towns of Maroun-El-Ras and Yaroun. Most of Avivim, along with other northern border towns, became increasingly difficult to navigate due to the constant missile and drone attacks from the Lebanese Hezbollah controlled settlements possessing superior vantage points into Israel.
A few hours before we arrived in Avivim, Hezbollah fired two anti-tank missiles at a car they believed contained people who intended to kill them. Thank God they missed; the occupants had entered a nearby house to collect their belongings minutes before the attack. The blast damaged many windows and structures in the surrounding area.
The community synagogue of Avivim was impacted from the blowback, and many of its windows were broken with glass scattered in and around the building. On our first Shabbat there, we prayed in a part of the damaged sanctuary that was considered slightly less exposed to anti-tank missiles from the Lebanese towns above Avivim.
Our davening was brief as we wanted to minimize our time in the building due to safety concerns, and the likelihood that Hezbollah terrorists saw us enter. Following the service, it was decided by the higher command that it was too dangerous for us to go into the synagogue and that part of the town because of Hezbollah’s superior elevated position. Leaving behind the partially destroyed shul reminded me of the generations of Jews around the world who have had their synagogues ransacked and burned. This feeling stayed with me, haunting my thoughts during many sleepless nights over the past year.
In early March, my reserve unit was released after spending time in Malkiah, Kiryat Shmona, Avivim and Dovev. We went home with mixed emotions. On one hand, our swift response on Oct. 7 may have stopped Hezbollah from infiltrating northern Israel, but, on the other hand, communities were abandoned, damaged and resembled war zones. Tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters had lost their homes, communities and lives, becoming refugees in their own country.
Then everything changed with the spectacular beeper attacks followed by precision strikes against almost all of Hezbollah’s leadership with the grand finale being when Israel eliminated Hassan Nasrallah, who for decades was the terror group’s leader and had become a symbol of terror against Israel in much of the Muslim world.
The wheels were put in motion, and my unit as well as thousands of other reservists were called up before Rosh Hashanah to change the terrible status quo which had taken hold over the past year. We attacked with great force, and with the help of Hashem we eliminated many terrorists and destroyed much of the terror infrastructure and weaponry that Hezbollah had been preparing for decades to capture and slaughter the Galilee.
We restored the honor of Israel and were no longer the ones scared trying to defend ourselves, they were. We had steamrolled the Hezbollah border strongholds that tens of thousands of Israelis in northern Israel had looked upon in fear for many years.
After our release last week, we gathered to discuss our experiences at a hotel in Tiberias. Coincidentally, we met residents of Avivim, Dovev and Kiryat Shmona who had fled their homes and have been living as refugees for more than a year. Teenagers from Avivim asked us about the large Iranian promenade in Maroun-El-Ras, a replica of the Dome of the Rock, that had been built by Iran as a sign of victory commemorating the 2006 Hezbollah war with Israel. These teens had looked at the structure every day in fear, knowing who and what it symbolized. We told them that the monument had been flattened and destroyed along with the entire Hezbollah stronghold in Maroun-El-Ras, to which they let out cheers of joy and excitement.
This sentiment holds true for many children in other border towns who grew up in fear of Hezbollah. Thousands of us were blessed to witness how the story that began on Oct. 7 in defeat has now come full circle. We had the merit to help restore the honor of Avivim’s broken synagogue, the dignity of those who lived in fear for so long and the integrity of the State of Israel as a whole.
My only hope for our future and for the sake of those that fell or were injured defending northern Israel, is that the government and IDF will stand strong to ensure that the citizens of the north can return home to real safety and security that will last for generations to come.
