NAHARIYA, Israel: The war with Hezbollah that residents of northern Israel feared since the start of the Gaza conflict appeared more likely after a deadly rocket strike rocked the annexed Golan Heights.
There, in the Golan Heights bordering Nahariya鈥檚 Galilee region and occupied by Israel since 1967, 12 youths were killed and dozens wounded Saturday by the rocket that hit a soccer field in the Druze Arab town of Majdal Shams.
鈥淏efore, we felt safe, we didn鈥檛 feel danger,鈥� said Amal Al-Shaar, 46, who accompanied her 12-year-old son Adam to the Galilee Medical Center in the coastal town of Nahariya while he received treatment for his injuries from the strike.
鈥淲e paid a high price with our children鈥檚 lives, we paid with the blood of our hearts for this war,鈥� she said.
Below the ground where Adam and Amal were and in what used to be the hospital鈥檚 underground parking lot, certain departments were relocated to protect them from future rocket attacks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e the only hospital to be functional below ground or in a protected area since October 7,鈥� said director Massad Barhum, who made the decision for the transfer the day of Hamas鈥檚 unprecedented attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
As early as October 8, Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite movement supported by Iran, began to fire rockets at Israel in support of Palestinians and of its ally Hamas, which rules Gaza.
Since then, cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel鈥檚 army and the group have become almost daily, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a 鈥渟evere response鈥� to the Majdal Shams strike blamed on Hezbollah.
Tuesday, another Israeli civilian was killed by a rocket in the area, according to the army and paramedics, leading the military to strike back inside Lebanon where it says it has been aiming at Hezbollah鈥檚 infrastructure for weeks.
Tens of thousands of Israelis who lived close to the border were evacuated shortly after the start of the war in Gaza, but in Nahariya, people remained.
This created a 鈥渘ew border鈥� where Nahariya is on the frontline, said Barhum, 鈥渁long this entire new border, it鈥檚 us.鈥�
鈥淲hen there is a war, it will be here. Missiles could hit here,鈥� said the 64-year-old Arab-Israeli, adding that his hospital is 鈥渞eady to hold for seven days鈥� without any contact with the outside world.
Strings of small Israeli flags have been hanged between the various departments as a sign of support.
In the hospital鈥檚 neonatal unit, the first department to have been relocated underground, newborns are under high protection.
Down there, only the incubators鈥檚 humming break the silence, as the sound of air-raid sirens cannot travel through the ground.
鈥淲e鈥檙e safe down here, far from the world,鈥� said Vered Fleisher-Shefer, the unit鈥檚 director, who said she refuses to 鈥渓ive in fear.鈥�
Like Nahariya, the nearby town of Maalot is so close to Lebanon 鈥� about 10 kilometers (six miles) 鈥� that residents will have just a few seconds to seek shelter when sirens warn of incoming rockets.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not even inside the (bomb) shelter when we hear explosions... that鈥檚 the scary thing,鈥� said teacher Florence Touati-Wachsstock, who move there more than a decade ago.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 what happened in Majdal Shams, and they鈥檙e even closer (to Lebanon),鈥� added the 47-year-old mother of five.
鈥淔or almost 10 months, we鈥檝e been expecting a real war with Lebanon, even more so these past few days with the attack in Majdal Shams,鈥� she said.
Now she is reassessing her plans for the future.
鈥淪hould we stay, should we go, when will we know that we need to go, we have no idea of what can happen this evening, or tomorrow,鈥� she said.
On Tuesday night, Israel carried out a strike on Hezbollah鈥檚 stronghold in the suburbs south of Beirut, targeting what the army said was the commander responsible for the Majdal Shams attack.
A source close to the Iran-backed militant group said that senior commander Fuad Shukr was the target but that he 鈥渟urvived the Israeli strike.鈥�