Northern Residents Say Security Is Being Sacrificed in the Lebanon Deal

Residents of northern Israel woke up on Monday feeling that the emerging security arrangement tied to the Iran deal could leave them exposed again to Hezbollah, which they say is determined to destroy Israel. Moren Dadush of Moshav Goren in the Western Galilee told ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth that he felt “betrayal,” not by Iran or Hezbollah, but by the State of Israel and its government. He said people in the north are left asking who will guarantee their safety, prevent the next war, and take responsibility if the threat returns to the border.

Dadush said border residents are again being asked to pay the price first and get answers last, as in previous ceasefire rounds that began to unravel after November 2024 without a stable outcome. The reporting said the deal could include an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, while Lebanese residents began trying to return to the south of the country. In a late-night press conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would remain in security zones “as long as necessary” to protect the country, adding that after October 7 he set a simple principle, Israel will not allow terrorist groups to prepare another massacre near its citizens.

Despite Netanyahu’s remarks, security chiefs and residents in border communities fear a collapse of the defensive line and what they described as the growing consequences of handing Israel’s security to political and economic interests in the Trump administration. Asaf Langlevan, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, said responsibility for border security rests solely with Israel. He said action matters more than declarations, and insisted the IDF must stay in its positions in southern Lebanon to prevent renewed attacks.

Residents in the Upper Galilee and the Galilee Panhandle also warned against a return to old prewar assumptions. Ofri Eliyahu-Rimoni of Yesud HaMa'ala said a quiet border can actually be dangerous, arguing that proportional responses undermine deterrence and revive the same thinking that failed before October 7. David Azulai, head of the Metula local council, said he was shocked by Netanyahu’s rhetoric and blamed years of neglect and the continued war on what he called appeasement policies and Qatari money entering Gaza. He invited the prime minister to see the destruction, displacement, and trauma in the area, and said local recovery is being funded mostly by donations, about 70% of the budget. The piece was first published at 23:08 on June 15, 2026.