For the past 16 months, Rafi and Rachel Biton from the Upper Galilee town of Avivim have been displaced from the home they built 32 years ago, near the Shi'ite village of Maroun al-Ras across the border in southern Lebanon.
On Monday, Rafi returned to organize the house, hoping to convince Rachel to move back when the evacuation period declared by the government, ends next month. During his visit, Rachel called him frequently via video to check on his well-being. "I’m very worried. I left a home of 32 years and I can’t see a way back," she says.
Rafi, drawn to his childhood home in the Galilee, says he feels torn away each evening when returning to the Tiberias hotel, where the family had been housed for since the war began. "We regularly give thanks in the synagogue for the miracle here," he says.
"We’ve faced great tragedies, but nothing like what could have happened. We celebrated Simchat Torah together as a community and within minutes, terrorists from Maroun al-Ras could’ve descended on us. We wouldn’t be alive to tell the story."
Gunfire from IDF forces stationed near the destroyed village was audible throughout our conversation. Most of the homes in Maroun al-Ras, once a Hezbollah stronghold, have been destrpyed. Pointing to the area’s former Hezbollah symbol, Rafi remarks on its complete destruction but warns: "A year from now, you’ll see it rebuilt."
Rafi believes a strong buffer zone is essential for residents to return. "For a decade, we’ve been abandoned with technology like radars and cameras. Hezbollah disabled it all on the war’s first day, leaving us exposed." he says "After October 7, I don’t want to live in fear anymore. We’re not naive," his wife adds.
Rafi and Rachel, married for over three decades, agree that they’ll return only when the IDF visibly secures the area. "The village controlled the entire region, from Meron to Dalton," Rafi says. "Security means having the army inside, ensuring Hezbollah isn’t watching us anymore."
Elsewhere along the northern border, tensions have eased following the cease-fire extension between Israel and Hezbollah. However, isolated incidents continue, including provocations by Lebanese waving Hezbollah flags. Near the village of Aitaroun, two Hezbollah operatives carrying flags were detained by IDF forces and taken for questioning.
He stresses the importance of Israeli resilience and that he believed northern residents would return to their homes out of love for their homeland. "Strong settlement, agriculture and a vigilant military are the solution. It’s our responsibility to shape reality here,” he added.
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He stressed the importance of Israeli resilience and that he believed northern residents would return to their homes out of love for their homeland. "Strong settlement, agriculture and a vigilant military are the solution. It’s our responsibility to shape reality here,” he says.
Golani points to his unharvested orchards, fruits left to rot due to the security situation. "We grow apples. What do they grow? There’s no agriculture on their side. Here, we need to believe in a strong Israel and hold the line, ready for anything."