‘We don’t know what will happen’: northern Israeli town holds breath as Lebanon ceasefire to end

Of Metula’s 1,700 residents, only 16 have returned since the area was evacuated in October 2023. Photograph: Quique Kierszenbaum/The Guardian

At a lookout on Tsfiya mountain in Metula, Israel’s northernmost town, a reservist commander delivered a geography lecture to dozens of new army conscripts, pointing out landmarks in the Lebanese valley below.

The two-month-old ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah meant the trip was safe, but the soldiers had been instructed to remove epaulettes and pins denoting their units anyway. Both sides warily observed the other: Hezbollah scouts were present in the nearest villages, the commander said, while an Israeli drone hummed overhead.