A veteran resilience organization serving northern Israel reported Wednesday that anxiety symptoms among children, such as bedwetting, soiling, panic attacks, nightmares and obsessive-compulsive behavior, have risen since the start of the current war with Iran.

Yiftach Benbenishti, CEO of the Mashabim Center in Kiryat Shmona, which is close to the Lebanese border, said there was a marked return of symptoms among children who had previously undergone treatment for anxiety and showed improvement.

Communities along the northern border have long suffered from rocket attacks from Lebanon.

The Iran-backed terror organization Hezbollah attacked Israel from October 8, 2023, in support of Hamas in Gaza, which had invaded southern Israel the day before, murdering 1,200 mainly civilians. Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November 2024, but broke that agreement on March 2, after the US and Israel’s attack on Iran that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Since the start of Operation Roaring Lion on February 28, Mashabim’s hotlines have received 264 requests for one-on-one therapy, 144 of them for children aged up to 18. Of these, 80 requests relate to children aged up to six, and a further 53 to children aged seven to 12.

In addition, 75 couples have asked for parental guidance.

Reported symptoms include bedwetting and fecal incontinence among children who were previously toilet-trained, anxiety and panic attacks, nightmares and disturbed sleep, fear of........

© The Times of Israel