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Jack Jedwab: All the hostages are home, but near-ghost towns leave Northern Israel vulnerable

Kiryat Shmona and Metula remain scarred, depopulated, and strategically exposed to Hezbollah threats

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From the hills near Metula, Israel’s northernmost town, distance is not measured in kilometers but in seconds. I know this not as a metaphor, but from standing there myself — looking out at the Lebanese border and realizing how impossibly close it is. Neither a map nor a military briefing is needed to see the danger. You need only look up.

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The Lebanese hills directly overlook Metula and Israel’s northern communities. In theory, whoever controls those elevations can affect what happens below. The vantage point is absolute. The proximity is undeniable. From that height, Israel’s border towns are not abstractions; they are visible, vulnerable and within the closest proximity.

Jack Jedwab: All the hostages are home, but near-ghost towns leave Northern Israel vulnerable Back to video

It’s more than a geopolitical challenge. It is a lived reality for tens of thousands of Israelis along the northern border. In the weeks following Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack, Hezbollah entered the conflict, firing tens of thousands of rockets, missiles, and drones into northern Israel. The response was immediate: more than 60,000 Israeli civilians — Jews, Druze, and Maronite Christians — were evacuated from border towns and villages. Families fled southbound, dispersing across hotels, relatives’ homes, and temporary housing across the country.

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