All-Out War Creeps Ever Closer on Israeli-Lebanese Border

A last-minute peace deal could still possibly avert a full-on war between Israel and Hezbollah. But the amount of firepower being assembled on Israel's northern border suggests that war could start any day now.

By the tens of thousands, Israeli troops continue gathering and preparing on that border with Lebanon. Their purpose is to stop Hezbollah terrorists who've been attacking northern Israel from Lebanon almost daily for months.

That's forced some 80,000 Israelis to flee their homes and empty out whole communities near the border. As Kiryat Shmona resident Yarden Haziza puts it, "Living right now in Kiryat Shmona is very sad. The city is empty most of the time."

Hezbollah hit the north with some 40 rockets on just Thursday alone. The terrorists say it was to avenge a number of recent Israeli air strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel.

'On the March to Conquer the Middle East'

As the war against Hamas grinds on in Gaza and tensions mount in the north, Israel's prime minister keeps trying to get the world to focus on the threat from Iran, the massive power behind both Hezbollah and Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu insists Iran's jihadists have an evil goal.

He's warning Iran and its proxies are, as he put it, "On the march to conquer the Middle East."

Visiting the north this week, Israel's president complained the international community is doing little to stave off war.  So Isaac Herzog said it shouldn't be surprised if, as he said, "The situation spirals out of control."

Exuberant Defiance of Terrorism

Even as Israel braces for what could be another massive and painful war, the Tribe of Nova came together in Tel Aviv Thursday in exuberant defiance of terrorism.  They held their first mass concert since Hamas attacked their festival near Gaza on October 7th.  

Nimrod Arnin's sister was among the more than 360 festival-goers killed there.

He told the concert crowd, “On that Saturday at the beginning of October, our light was put to the test - a test which in our worst nightmares we didn’t imagine we would have to pass. The ultimate darkness challenged the big light of the Tribe of Nova."

The Thursday concert featured dozens of dancers on stage re-enacting the horror of that morning.  And the crowd of tens of thousands all stood quiet in a long moment of silence commemorating all who were lost.

'We Will Dance Again!'

But the main message of the day wasn't at all somber. It was that Israelis will not let the terrorists steal away their lust for life, or their joy, or their dance.

As concert attendee Maxim Mileyev put it, "Nothing can stop us from living our lives here in Israel. And nothing can stop us from keeping on dancing and living.”

Nimrod Arnin summed up what so many in the Tribe of Nova have come to know. He told the concert crowd, "In a moment of enlightenment we realized what is going to be the essence of our life from now and on. We will dance again!" 

The crowd cheered him...and danced for hours. They wanted to show that while Hamas worships death, Israelis embrace life...and life to the fullest.

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you keep receiving the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***