In a blistering attack on the proposed Lebanon ceasefire agreement, Avichai Shtern, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, warned that the deal amounts to "breathing life back into Hezbollah" just as the militant group was on the ropes.
"Look our children in the eyes before signing this surrender," Shtern demanded. "We're setting up Kiryat Shmona to become the next October 7th. Have we learned nothing?"
The criticism strikes at the heart of concerns among northern residents about returning to their homes without concrete security guarantees. "What exactly are we coming back to?" the mayor challenged. "A destroyed city with no security and no future?"
The head of Mevo Hermon Regional Council, Beni Ben Muvchar, also strongly opposed the emerging Lebanon ceasefire agreement, warning of dire consequences for northern residents.
"Netanyahu is making a grave mistake, leaving us like sitting ducks [with] disaster is written on the wall," he declared. "Hezbollah hasn't been hit hard enough, and we must continue to fight them."
The local leader questioned the purpose of residents' year-long displacement: "Why did we leave our homes for 13 months? All our military achievements are being wasted."
Northern communities have been virtual ghost towns since October 2023, when Hezbollah attacks forced mass evacuations. The proposed deal would allow residents to return, but local leaders fear it leaves them vulnerable to future attacks.
"Someone has lost their mind," the mayor concluded. "We're about to repeat the same mistakes that led to October 7th, this time on our northern border."
The region has seen most of its residents evacuated since October 2023 due to ongoing Hezbollah attacks.
