Northern border leader warns a withdrawal could empty the Galilee

Avi Ouzana, head of the Rosh Hanikra local committee, said in an interview with Benny Teitelbaum on Kan Morasha that residents along the northern border still live in deep uncertainty about the future, even with the IDF present in the area. He said people do not know what the day after any deal or security arrangement will look like, and are already feeling the consequences of decisions made far away. “There are deals, there are drones still exploding, and we are waiting to understand what it means in practice,” he said.

Ouzana warned against any Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon that would not bring a meaningful change in the security situation. “If they pull us out of Lebanon and tell us to go home, there will be no Galilee left. People will not stay here,” he said. In his view, Hezbollah cannot be eliminated completely, but Israel must keep up sustained military pressure. “You cannot erase it entirely, but you can hit it hard enough to allow normal life in the area,” he said.

Speaking about Rosh Hanikra, he said about 80% of residents have returned, but some are still leaving. “Last week three more friends left. One of them for good, and the others at least for the coming year,” he said, adding that some families evacuated, came back, and then decided to move away again. He said the children and daily routines remain affected, with families still bracing for sirens and staying alert around schools and transportation.

Ouzana concluded that security is the key condition for rebuilding the north. “We can talk and interpret, but the people who decide do not live here,” he said. “In the end, the question is how to ensure that residents of the border area can truly go back to living.”