Head of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council Amit Sofer expressed doubt about the newly implemented ceasefire’s ability to remove Hezbollah’s threat to the residents of northern Israel in an interview with Israeli state broadcaster KAN on Wednesday morning.
“Unfortunately, there is a difference between quiet and security. One wants to live in a place where there is no need for security, which is the basis and foundation of human needs,” Sofer told KAN.
When asked about the return of evacuated northern residents to their homes, Sofer shared that local councils have not told residents to return yet.
Additionally, the government has not yet issued any guidelines or an immediate plan to return residents to their homes since the implementation of the ceasefire.
Sofer told KAN that he was surprised by US President Joe Biden’s statements that called for civilians on both sides of the border to be able to return to their communities, saying that there is an issue with creating equivalencies between Israel and Hezbollah, especially as Hezbollah embeds into villages in southern Lebanon.
“These aren’t villages [in southern Lebanon]; these are terror outposts. They have no choice but to cooperate with terror organizations in Lebanon.”
Sofer told KAN that he was worried by threats to northern residents, with some living just a few hundred meters from Lebanon’s border, and could be left exposed to Hezbollah infiltrations and attacks.
He shared a pessimistic outlook on the situation, saying, “Hezbollah will soon again be in the villages near the fence…they will start digging tunnels again, Iranian money will flow again, and what we get in this agreement is not security.”
Sofer said that the model of Gaza, which has seen the IDF create buffered military zones (such as the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors), could be implemented in Lebanon.
Heads of northern localities criticize ceasefire
In recent days, prior to the establishment of the ceasefire, various heads of localities in northern Israel criticized the agreement, fearing that it would not go far enough to protect northern communities.
“A ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that does not include an arrangement to ensure the security of the communities along Israel’s northern border would be a disaster,” Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council, said on Tuesday.
“If a ceasefire agreement is signed between Lebanon and Israel and it does not include a significant arrangement to restore the security of the residents of the front-line communities before they return home – including a buffer zone near the border with a strong international force and the removal of Hezbollah beyond the Litani River – it will be a disaster for generations,” he stated.
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