The Mediterranean lies calm, its surface undisturbed while the sky above storms with distant thunder. Beyond the border, green hills mark a tense northern edge where Israeli forces keep watch, awaiting any provocation from groups across the border. Soldiers move with practiced calm, the sharp taste of diesel and dust in the air as they patrol the roads. They speak little to the press, and when cameras are off they admit a shared sense of safety at a frontline that has already claimed many lives. The concern this weekend is simple: the Classic could unfold while they are still in service.
“As much as I hate to miss the game, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be”, comments an electrical engineer who has stood watch on Israel’s northern boundary since October 7. He asks for anonymity, noting friends who are not substitutes and await summons at home. They all say they follow orders, feel on edge yet prepared, and keep faith that leadership will guide them through whatever comes. At the gate of Kibbutz Rosh HaNikra, the final border outpost before Lebanon, a lone soldier remains on duty until release, reflecting a wider sense of vigilance. “Israel expects an attack, and it has not begun its own advance yet”, he notes, quoted by a Spanish-language publication in the region.
Since October 7, the alliance of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran has fired dozens of missiles, rockets, and mortars at Israeli targets and populated areas. Gunmen linked to Palestinian groups have also operated from Lebanon. Each strike has drawn an Israeli response. Hezbollah has acknowledged casualties on its side, while civilians, including a journalist, have died on the Lebanese side. A military spokesperson points out that the strategy does not aim to open a new front, yet the group continues to challenge with sustained assaults.
A bigger threat
Leaders in the region frame the question for Lebanon and its people: do they risk the future by aiding Hezbollah and dragging the whole area into renewed war? Even with UN peacekeepers nearby, soldiers on the green border appear confident, acknowledging that the threat is real. “Hezbollah is not Hamas; Hezbollah is a trained army that presents a different kind of danger”, says a recruit stationed a few kilometers from the front lines. Estimates about the size of Hezbollah’s force vary, but the message is clear: the group fields a robust and capable fighting force that targets Israeli positions and communities.
Weeks of patrols through forests and fields along the Lebanese border have followed evacuations and shifting frontline realities. Some soldiers are more inclined to act than others, with one final sentiment echoing through the camp: if Hezbollah intends to make noise, they will hear it from here. The belief among many is that the enemy seeks to invade and heighten civilian casualties, and yet the resolve remains firm. An elder kibbutz farmer expresses a personal stake in the conflict, saying that even at an advanced age, he contributes where he can to support a unit in need.
“Frontline in the fight against terrorism”
The current moment has many reevaluating national identity and purpose. A veteran Israeli captain, born in Montevideo, suggests that if the country had chosen differently in the past, it might not be at this border today. The idea resonates with others who see Hamas and Islamic State violence as a threat that requires a steadfast response from the state. The mission is framed as defending families and citizens on the front lines of a broader struggle against terrorism that resonates far beyond the immediate theater.
From a quiet hillside, the occasional roar of rockets from across the border breaks the otherwise calm. The casualties in Gaza haunt the collective memory, with thousands dead and many more injured as a result of operations in the region. Hospitals struggle to care for the wounded under a restrictive blockade, while the humanitarian toll keeps rising. Reports from the border describe emergency efforts, and observers warn that broader clashes could have wide consequences beyond Israel and its neighbors.