The mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Avihai Stern, stated that "settlers will not return to their homes until Hezbollah elements are removed beyond the Litani." In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, he said, "I don’t know what achievements Defense Minister Yoav Galant is referring to, as long as the Radwan force is at the border, no one can assure us that we won't wake up one morning to what is happening in the south," questioning, "Who would be willing to return here?"
Stern believes that there needs to be "a harsh and deterrent operation," adding, "The Israeli army must learn to attack to avoid needing to protect our lives from the tens of thousands of Hezbollah fighters who can reach the city within minutes when they decide it is time to attack; the threat is increasing," asking, "What is the security establishment and the government waiting for?"
He continued, "It has been almost two months since Kiryat Shmona was evacuated, and more than 20,000 of its residents have left for shelter apartments and hotel rooms, many of whom have begun a new life that is defined as temporary but is not canceled, as they will not return to their city."
Stern quoted Avital Slav, a social media influencer residing in Kiryat Shmona, saying, "The home that is supposed to be the safest place is the most dangerous for us right now." He also quoted Gabi Haseen, a resident of Kiryat Shmona who rented a home at the start of the war in the nearby settlement of Migdal, saying he is willing to offer his own home in the city to Galant and his family, adding, "Let the Galant family come live in Kiryat Shmona and give me their house; if he thinks we will return to live as we did 40 to 50 years ago, he is very mistaken."
The anger over Galant's statements has not stopped at Kiryat Shmona alone. Moshe Dweidovich, head of the regional council of Ma'aleh Eshar, addressed the issue strongly to Yedioth Ahronoth, stating, "It seems to me that Galant has forgotten to remove the cover from his binocular lenses; we do not care about his ceasefire whistle or his empty words, and our citizens will not be like ducks in Hezbollah's field." He added, "If he thinks that the residents of the north will be the 'Gaza border 2' - referring to the Gaza border settlement that was attacked by Hamas - he is mistaken; that won't happen, especially since the Israeli army has not only not completed its mission in the north, but has not even started it yet."
