AILSA CHANG, HOST:
Israel continues to exchange fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The ongoing battles included a major strike by Israel on Wednesday, which killed more than 300 people. The fighting is threatening to derail the tentative ceasefire talks between the U.S. and Iran even before they get fully underway. World leaders and President Trump are pressuring Israel's prime minister to stop, but in northern Israel, still under threat from Hezbollah rocket fire, residents hope he does not. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: From the window in his office, the mayor of Shlomi, 67-year-old Gabriel Na'aman, looks out at the mountain ridge between the two longtime enemies.
GABRIEL NA'AMAN: (Speaking Hebrew).
KAHN: "I sit here seeing Lebanon. And before this latest fighting, Hezbollah would sit there on the mountain ridge looking down at us," he says. "Our population, just around 10,000, is so vulnerable." Now Hezbollah has been beaten very far back, and he says he hopes Israeli soldiers hold their positions deep inside Lebanon.
NA'AMAN: (Speaking Hebrew).
KAHN: "Pressure on Hezbollah must not be relaxed until it raises its hands and disarms," he says. "Only then will we have peace."
You hear that a lot from residents of Shlomi, and that they are exhausted by the endless wars with Hezbollah.
(SOUNDBITE OF SHOPPING CART RATTLING)
KAHN: At a Shlomi supermarket, Ifat Gamzo, a local doctor, pushes a full shopping cart to her car. She's tired.
IFAT GAMZO: The kids are going crazy - stir-crazy at home. They're bored, and they can't meet up with friends as much 'cause it's dangerous to go out, so not easy.
KAHN: Incoming missiles and drones from Hezbollah daily - at least four or five times a day and night - trigger sirens, sending everyone scrambling into shelters. Two civilians have been killed in the north from Hezbollah rockets since March 2, when Israel launched its invasion of Lebanon. Like the mayor, she says she doesn't want the military to stop until Hezbollah is finally defeated.
GAMZO: If this is what's going to bring peace, then for a little longer, we can handle it.
KAHN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, is under a lot of international pressure to stop now. President Trump has told Netanyahu to pull back. Speaking to NBC, Trump said Netanyahu got the message and is, quote, "going to lowkey it." Netanyahu has even proposed entering into direct talks with Lebanon, a historic event between the two longtime enemies. However, in a video message, Netanyahu told northern residents not to worry, he won't back down.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: (Speaking Hebrew).
KAHN: "There is no ceasefire with Lebanon," he says. "We are still striking Hezbollah with great force and won't stop until we restore your security."
(SOUNDBITE OF BEEPING)
KAHN: At the gas station minimart as you come into town, 19-year-old Kimmy Noi works the cash register. She says she can't believe that war is her new normal. Her days consist of working here and running in and out of bomb shelters.
KIMMY NOI: And it mostly sucks that I also can't leave this town to go and see my friends because it's way too dangerous.
KAHN: Like many in her generation, unlike the older residents, she doesn't think more fighting will bring an end.
NOI: And at this point, I just want it to be done 'cause I've lost, like, way too many years of my life to this thing.
KAHN: She says, for now, she can't even contemplate her future, like going to university or starting a career. Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Shlomi in northern Israel. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
