Northern Israel Nearly Faced Hezbollah Invasion, Protest Leader Warns
Moshe Redman, a Democratic Party candidate and one of the leaders of the Kaplan protest movement, called on Wednesday to expand the investigation into the failures of October 7 to include the preparedness along the Lebanon border. He warned that northern Israeli residents were mere hours away from a potential Hezbollah invasion and massacre. Redman made these remarks after reading "06:29," a book by military analyst Amos Harel that details the massacre, subsequent events, and the security perceptions preceding the attack.
According to Redman, the book reveals that only luck prevented parts of the Galilee region from being captured on October 7. He questioned why residents of Metula, Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Ma'alot, Karmiel, and the Upper Galilee kibbutzim have not demanded a thorough investigation into the northern border's preparedness over the years. He claimed that both the political leadership and the IDF were well aware of Hezbollah's potential to seize towns in the Galilee.
Redman highlighted that on the morning of October 7, only four battalions were stationed along the northern border, compared to three on the Gaza border and 23 in Judea and Samaria. He urged all those advocating for an investigation into the massacre to also demand a full inquiry into the neglect of the north, which he described as a criminal failure, albeit one that did not result in as many casualties as in the Gaza envelope.
He cited a passage from Harel's book describing the fears among commanders of the 91st Division in the hours following the Hamas attack, noting that northern residents were dependent on Hezbollah's leader's decision on whether to launch a simultaneous attack. Redman argued that the response must be both political and military, emphasizing the need for long-term strategic decision-making and proactive measures to address the Hezbollah threat before it escalated.
Concluding his remarks, Redman criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, stating that there are no long-term decision-making processes around him and calling for better government and leadership for Israel.
