The impact of Hezbollah attacks on the economy and Zionist settlers 

Mehr News, International Group: After the Al-Aqsa storm operation which was accompanied by the surprise of the occupying regime, Hezbollah as a major player in the axis of resistance in Lebanon’s borders is involved in confronting the Zionist regime. . In the past eight months, Hezbollah has upset the balance in the north of the occupied territories by carrying out continuous attacks against the positions of the Zionist army. The two main consequences of these attacks are economic problems, including in the agricultural sector, and the evacuation of Zionist settlements and the flight of a large number of the population of these areas.

The effect of Hezbollah attacks on the economy of the north of the occupied territories

Lebanon’s border with the occupied territories around 79 kilometers long, a part of which is in Shabaa fields, which has been occupied by the Zionist regime for several decades. The border points of Lebanon are located in the cities of Ait al-Shaab, Remim, Adzahirah, Naqura and Labaniyah and the border The occupied territories also include some cities such as Acre, Kiryat Shimoneh, Nazareth, etc. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Zionist regime has deployed more than 100 military personnel in this area. According to the statistics provided by ALMA Research and Education Center (ALMA Research and Education Center) in May 2024, Hezbollah started its attacks from October 8, 2023 to May 31. 2024 Around 1954 attacks have been made on the northern border of the occupied territories. These attacks were mostly carried out by anti-tank missiles and drones.

In addition to the military centers, these attacks have left a serious impact on the economic centers of the northern region of the Zionist regime. The most important economic sectors of the Zionist regime include technology, making and polishing diamonds and cutting. Israel’s gross domestic product reached 501.4 billion dollars in 2022, and the leaders of the Zionist regime hoped to reach 611.8 billion dollars by 2026. But the beginning of Al-Aqsa storm and Hezbollah’s numerous attacks on the northern region disrupted these calculations. Most of the agricultural fields, wineries and poultry farms are located in this area.

Hizbollah’s attacks have stopped the activities of thousands of businesses in different towns of this region. In a report in February 2023, the Yediot Aharonot newspaper also announced that these attacks caused losses of approximately 500 million shekels to Zionist farmers in the settlements. The Marker newspaper, which is published inside the occupied territories, wrote that dozens of factories in northern Israel are closed and many are facing a 70% reduction in production. Many Zionist media described the situation in the northern regions and wrote that cities are empty of people, businesses are closed, fields including vineyards are left unattended and no specific timetable for production is known.

The effect of Hezbollah attacks on the settlers of the north of the occupied territories

Hezbollah’s all-out attacks, which are constantly under fire in various areas on the border of Lebanon with the Zionist regime, have created many effects in the Zionist settlements in this region.

Evacuation and prohibition of entry to settlements

The most important impact of these attacks is the evacuation of Zionist settlements. The Israeli army announced on October 16 that it plans to evacuate 28 settlements in the northern regions due to increased tension on the border with Lebanon. The National Emergency Management Department of the Ministry of War of the Zionist regime announced that the evacuated settlers will be transferred to guest houses. Some of the settlements that were evacuated included the occupied border villages of Lebanon, Ghojar, Dishon, Kafr Yuval, Margaliot, Metula, Avivim, Dovu, etc. Also, more than 60,000 settlers have fled from this area. Some of these towns are located five kilometers and some are located five to eight kilometers from the Lebanese border. After the height of Hezbollah attacks in late May 2014, some settlements were declared as military zones. For example The command of the Northern Front of the Zionist regime announced that the settlements between Liman and Ras al-Naqoura have been declared a closed military zone and entry is prohibited.

The spread of internal protests

Hizbollah’s attacks have provoked many protests in the northern region. After the 8th of October, when Hezbollah started attacking these areas, many settlers are involved in protesting the situation in this area. For example, in late December 2023, hundreds of settlers protested the situation of this region with the slogans “The government has lost the north”, “The north is collapsing” and “Whoever abandoned the south will not save the north”. Showed. The settlers also in these areas actually believe that the leaders and commanders of the army do not make an effort for the security of this area, and therefore many of them consider themselves not citizens but refugees.

Multiplicity of internal communities

Hizbollah’s attacks have divided the internal communities and their authorities in the north of the occupied territories into several groups. Some Zionist officials in northern occupied Palestine demanded separation from this regime. In May 2024, some heads of Zionist settlements in the north of occupied Palestine stated: “We went back 30 years. The situation in the Galilee region proves that Israel’s security theory has collapsed.” Also, following Hezbollah’s drone and missile attacks on the city of Nahariya, the Zionist Army Radio reported that the mayor of the city of Nahariya said that we cannot live like this and we must A unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip should be negotiated. On the other hand, many in these areas have called for the military intervention of the Zionist regime in Lebanon. For example, in a poll published by the Zionist Public Network in May 2024, 46% of respondents supported military action in Lebanon, and 29% were against a military attack on Lebanon.

Heavy renovation costs

Another issue faced by the settlers is the high level of destruction and the high costs of its reconstruction. One of the institutions of the Ministry of War of the Zionist regime announced in a report at the beginning of the new year that it had received about a thousand damage reports, about a third of which were classified as moderate to critical, and the vast majority of them were in residential buildings. . Hezbollah rockets also caused a massive fire outside the city of Kiryat Shemona in northern Israel.

In many northern towns and communities of the occupied territories, such as Arab Armasheh, Manareh and Metula, the inspectors have not entered due to its very dangerous situation. Reconstruction in the most affected areas may take several months to a year. The noteworthy point is that the reports show that 26% of the damages in these settlements were caused by the Israeli forces themselves, who are present in these evacuated towns and villages. This caused the Israeli army to express regret for damaging the property of the residents.

Result

After the start of Al-Aqsa storm operation, Hezbollah’s attacks on the northern regions of the occupied territories have faced this regime with a serious problem. Major parts of agricultural lands are located in this area. Another problem is the evacuation regime of many settlements that are located at a close distance from Mez Lebanon. These attacks have provoked internal protests against the Zionist regime’s inaction to ensure the security of this region among many Nesinan settlements. At the same time, due to the Zionist regime facing the problem of forced migrations, the settlers expect the rapid reconstruction of the damaged places, which is another problem for the leaders of the Zionist regime. The importance of this area and the failure of the Zionist regime to ensure its security caused some officials, such as the Minister of Immigration of the Zionist regime, to consider the opening of the front in the north in the early stages of the war as a mistake.

Sajad Moradi Kalardeh, researcher of international relations