Barak's visit to northern border
Photo: Avihu Shapira
Katyusha remains
Photo: Avihu Shapira
Shavit. Upgrade security systems
Valency. Trusts IDF
Photo: Niv Calderon
'Katyusha a provocation against Barak'
Residents living near northern border used to occasional rocket fire from Lebanon, but head of Mevoot Hermon Regional Council links Tuesday's incident to defense minister's visit. Other council heads call on government not to cut northern communities' budgets
Northern council heads were not surprised by the Katyusha rocket which hit the Galilee panhandle on Tuesday evening, as several rockets have been launched at Israel
from Lebanon
since the end of the Second Lebanon War.
Mavoot Hermon Regional Council head Benny Ben-Muvchar linked Tuesday evening's rocket fire to Defense Minister Ehud Barak's
visit
to the northern border earlier in the day.
The northern border communities are not wasting any time, and as part of the process of drawing conclusions, they have set up new operations rooms and have begun upgrading their systems. According to the council heads, the north is suffering from budget cuts and there is not enough money for fortification.
Tuesday's Incident
Hagai Einav
Loud explosion heard in northern Israel at around 7:20 pm, only several hours after Defense Minister Barak's visit; no injuries or damage reported. Lebanese security source says Katyusha fired from village of Houla; IDF fires six shells at area in response
"This may have been an attempt to provoke the defense minister, who came to meet with council heads and monitor the upgrade of our system," he said. "I must note that the defense systems in the communities I am responsible for have been improved immensely since the Second Lebanon War, with an investment of millions.
"After the firing incident I contacted the communities' heads and engaged in calming them down and conveying the message that our routine life will not be stopped despite the fire."
Kiryat Shmona Mayor Nissim Malka arrived at the rocket landing site. "Alongside the IDF's response, it's important that the State of Israel knows that it must boost the fortification budget," he said. "Only several hours passed between the defense minister's visit to the city and the firing incident, and this illustrates the difficult reality we are living in.
"We are prepared constantly to provide a response to our residents. I am in close contact with Northern Command officers. The municipality's department heads are briefed continuously on the ways to act in times of emergency."
'Benefits must not be touched'
Shlomi Council head Gabi Naaman addressed the fortification issue. "We are used to drizzles in the firing or to a reinforced pace. Unfortunately, we are also used to ongoing fire at times of war, but the main threat on the north's residents is not the rocket fire but the Israeli government's budget cuts.
"If I am informed that they have decided that the situation here is so good that they can cut the funding of daycare centers or security components, this shows just how faulty some ministers' understanding of the northern border residents' situation is.
"I can assure you that we will face Hezbollah firmly as the State of Israel's strong home front, but we cannot be strong for long in the face of painful and difficult cuts imposed on us from time to time by the Israeli government," he warned.
Mateh Asher Regional Council head Yehuda Asher, whose community was hit by rockets about two months ago, estimated that this was an individual incident and that the situation is not escalating.
"We constantly claim that the confrontation line has not disappeared and that even if there are long-range missiles directed towards central Israel, we in the northern border will suffer the most. In order to continue helping us deal with the situation, the Israeli government should not touch the different benefits given to the communities and continue processes aimed at upgrading the defense systems in the north."
Upper Galilee Regional Council head Aharon Valency praised the Israel Defense Forces for its swift response to the rocket fire. "I trust the IDF and its commanders to make the right decisions in order to maintain the calm on the northern border," he said. "I hope this was an individual incident which will not lead to additional escalation on the border. The council is prepared to provide a response to any scenario."
