Let’s step back from the fray for a moment.
Most discussions about Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iran, and ceasefires happen at the level of strategy. Analysts talk about deterrence. Politicians talk about leverage. Military experts talk about capabilities.
Lieutenant Colonel Sarit Zehavi is founder and president of Alma, an independent research and education centre specialising in security challenges along the northern border of Israel. As a resident of the north, she has spent the past two and a half years watching the events she analyses unfold around her own family and community.
She recently sent out a personal email to subscribers. I wanted to share it because, as we discuss military operations, diplomacy, and regional power struggles, we should keep in mind that every strategic decision plays out in someone's living room, someone's classroom, or someone's mourning tent.
Today, my message to you is that of a resident of northern Israel, a mother, and someone who is grieving.
The residents of the north are deeply frustrated by yesterday's developments. It feels as though Washington and Tehran are dictating whether our children can safely go to school. Despite the undeniable military achievements of the IDF over the past two and a half years, and particularly this past week, the outcome of yesterday means that Hezbollah is now free to rebuild its military capabilities in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.
This immunity for Hezbollah will ultimately cost more Israeli lives, both civilian and military. We are left living with two major fears. First, we do not know the magnitude of the future military capabilities Hezbollah will now be allowed to build against us. Second, it seems that whenever the Iranians want leverage over the Americans, they simply press the "Hezbollah button," throwing our entire region into chaos to achieve their goals.
Ultimately, this geopolitical game dictates our daily lives. The mental exhaustion of living under constant fire is indescribable. As a parent, you constantly feel you are falling short. You cannot leave your children alone at home, even if they are older. You cannot host family celebrations or cultural events. Small businesses cannot survive. We live continuously in the shadow of war. And when we see such significant restrictions placed on Israel's freedom of action, it reinforces the dreadful feeling that this will never end.
Let me share a few examples from my own life just this past week. The rocket attacks on Karmiel caught me in a very large, crowded shopping center. The sirens wailed, and the interceptions were exploding directly over our heads. There were so many people, and nobody, including myself, could reach a shelter in time. It is a truly terrifying moment when you realize you are completely exposed, armed with nothing but a prayer that the Iron Dome will not miss.
Meanwhile, high school matriculation exams across the north have been postponed. My daughter, like so many others, has been sitting at home instead of going to school.
But these disruptions pale in comparison to the true, heartbreaking cost of this war. Last week, I spent every day sitting Shiva. My cousin's son, IDF Staff Sgt. Noam Hamburger, was killed on his base inside Israeli territory. Noam was a soldier whose job was to repair tanks. He was killed just one month before he was due to be discharged from the army.
Noam was a truly wonderful young man. Before he was drafted he chose to spend his free time once a week delivering food to families in need with his mother. He was a devoted big brother to his three sisters. He fundamentally believed in the value of giving to others.
This is now the third generation of Israelis fighting in Lebanon. Yesterday's events only emphasized how far away the end of this cycle truly is.
Right now, Noam's family needs support. If you feel moved to do so, please reply to this with a message for his parents and his siblings. I will collect all of your messages and deliver them directly to his family.
Sarit Zehavi
Your eyes and ears on the northern border,
Alma Research and Education Center
Sharing Sarit's email with my readers is my way of offering condolences to Noam Hamburger's family, and of reminding ourselves that the subjects we discuss as policy, strategy, and diplomacy are experienced by real people in real places.
For further reading: “What we need to know about Hezbollah (but are afraid to know)”
You can sign up to receive Alma’s emails here.
Substack’s payment system is not currently operational for writers in Israel. If you want to support this work, you can do so directly via PayPal/Buy me a Coffee,
or Ko-fi.
Independent investigations remain free for all readers.
Reader support keeps this work sustainable.
May Hashem comfort them among the mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim. Such tragedy. His face is beautiful and so innocent.
Crying for this precious Jewish boy and his family.
Thank you for sharing this. I have been infuriated with Trump’s clown show re Hezbollah. Where could one sign up to her newsletter or is it only for Israelis in the north? 🙏🏻