A truck loaded with boxes outside the home of Avi and Merav Nadiv in Metula symbolized the end of two and a half years of displacement, after Hezbollah anti-tank missiles destroyed their house and burned all their belongings.
“We’re back home,” Avi declared, with a mix of celebration and concern over the renewed fighting.
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'We trust the IDF will bring quiet for the next 50 years,' Avi and Merav Nadiv
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
Earlier this week, movers packed up the family’s belongings, the few possessions they managed to accumulate in the years since fleeing their home in fear on October 7, 2023. They never imagined that after months of clearing rubble and rebuilding, they would return in the middle of another war, with Metula again under rocket fire and drone attacks.
“We really hope this was our last evacuation,” Avi said. “I trust the IDF will do the job and strike hard so we can have quiet here for at least 50 years. Hezbollah must be disarmed and dealt a blow it won’t recover from. We can’t keep living through these attacks and cycles.”
On the main street of the town, which is marking 130 years since its founding and once again fighting for its survival, the espresso machine at “Cafe Bella” never stops.
Yonatan Davis, who opened the cafe with his partner Miri just four months before the war broke out in the winter of 2023, refuses to surrender to the security reality and is determined to maintain some routine.
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Refusing to surrender, Yonatan Davis and his partner Miri at their 'Cafe Bella'
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
“Mostly soldiers, journalists from around the world and locals come here,” he said. “On Fridays we serve challah sandwiches, beer and arak. People sit together, from age 13 to 85. It’s the town’s gathering place.”
Liat Cohen Raviv, a resident and head of the Matzpinim organization, sat in the cafe and explained the philosophy behind drinking cappuccino on the front line.
“It’s not ideal and it’s certainly not the safest, but there’s a shelter nearby,” she said.
“Metula has seen the fewest residents return compared to other border communities. Those who came back did so with determination and an understanding that a strong civilian presence is essential for victory. It’s important for our soldiers, who are inside Lebanese territory, to see us living. If the home front is completely paralyzed, military morale suffers and so does the mission.”
The reality in Metula can feel surreal. During the previous round of fighting, any vehicle entering town or person walking its streets was exposed to Hezbollah surveillance and direct anti-tank fire.
This week, in the early afternoon, one resident was seen jogging along the border fence in shorts. Michaela and Zvika Horowitz also take advantage of quiet moments to walk their dog, Bond.
“During the evacuation, we were in Tiberias. We never imagined we’d come back and still be in a war,” Michaela said.
Last week, they took a few days away in Tiberias as part of a donor-funded break.
“We just wanted to sleep,” Zvika said. “To go to sleep quietly without waking up from sirens and explosions.”
A third-generation Metula resident, he described how anxiety has become part of family life in an area where sirens often coincide with the sound of impacts.
“The dog runs to the safe room first. He jumps into my arms and barks because he wants to get inside. Like a baby,” he said.
Managing risk in the town is local council head David Azoulay, who makes decisions from his emergency command center without waiting for bureaucratic processes in Jerusalem.
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'Doing everything we can to make sure those who returned stay safe,' Local council head David Azoulay
(Photo: Efi Sharir)
“Just two days ago, 250 residents returned from a five-day all-inclusive stay in Eilat,” he said. “We’re planning a community Passover Seder at a hotel in Tiberias, the same hotel that hosted our residents during the war. We’ll invite everyone at a symbolic price so the community can celebrate together.”
So far, about 700 residents have taken part in these short breaks.
Before the war, Metula had about 1,200 residents, and only 60% have returned. Since fighting escalated in Iran and Lebanon, around 50 families have once again left.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure those who returned stay and feel there is a strong community and mutual responsibility here,” Azoulay said.
Ahead of the Sabbath, he plans to distribute challah and hot meals to residents. He also urges them to remain in town and limit travel outside it.
“The roads and agricultural areas are not protected by Iron Dome,” he said. “It’s like Russian roulette.”