'Misleading calm on northern border'
Bereaved parents hold memorial for soldiers killed in Second Lebanon War. 'The enemy has increased its abilities,' Northern Command chief tells them
"On the one hand, we have security and calm which the north hasn’t known for decades," he said. "On the other hand, the enemy has increased its abilities. From afar, the (southern Lebanon) villages appear serene, but looks can be deceiving."
The general spoke during a memorial ceremony for soldiers killed in the Second Lebanon War in 2006.
Eisenkot with Gabi Lev, father of fallen soldier Haran Lev (Photo: Avihu Shapira)
The ceremony was held on Mount Adir in the Upper Galilee, which overlooks southern Lebanon and the war's battlefields. The bereaved parents who attended the ceremony observed the villages of Debel, Bint Jbeil, Maroun al-Ras and Ita al-Shaab.
The army installed a large telescope in the area, allowing the parents to observe the villages their sons fought and died in. They also directed questions at the intelligence officers who attended the ceremony.
"Can you identify the house he was in?" one of the fathers asked. "Did the residents go back to live there after the war?" one of the mothers wondered.
Bereaved parents observing Lebanon (Photo: Avihu Shapira)
"We come here every year, to see where the sons died and fought," said Elipaz Baloha, father of Nadav Baloha who was killed in Maroun al-Ras on July 20, 2006. "From here you can see that this war was really a war over our home. This is the least we can do in order to honor their memory."
'War opened everyone's eyes'
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority is setting up a lookout point on Mount Adir in memory of the 21 soldiers killed in the war (in addition to 34 citizens). According to Baloha, the parents plan to turn the place into a site which will be visited by students and soldiers, "so that people can understand how close everything is and how close this war was to us."
Major-General Eisenkot discussed the Israel Defense Forces' residence, saying that the army "engaged in a long and significant process of studying the enemy, exposing its abilities and building a professional and high quality response to implement our purpose in the best way."
He expressed his hope that "drawing lessons will be part of the commemoration process of the war and its fallen soldiers."
Avi Karampa, head of the Maaleh Yosef Regional Council, where the site is located, added that "the war opened everyone's eyes, particularly the army's. I see it on the ground and I heard it from the command chief.
"The army is preparing differently today. Although threats are being heard on the Lebanese side and many more missiles are being stocked, I am certain that the army is aware of this and is preparing accordingly."
