Abandoned villages line Lebanon’s border with Israel amidst rising tensions

Shredded Lebanese and Hezbollah flags fly high above a demolished boardwalk, offering a breathtaking view of Israel’s Upper Galilee.

Lt. Col. Juan Garcia Martinez, a member of Spain’s peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, recalls the days when buses would bring tourists to see the Holy Land.

CNN joined a Spanish battalion on patrol of Lebanon's southern border area on Friday. The region has been heavily impacted by six months of conflict between Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces.

The roads are marked with craters and debris litters the sidewalks. With the exception of a few Christian-majority villages that have been mostly untouched by Israeli attacks, the area is filled with abandoned towns resembling ghost towns. This stark contrast reflects the situation in northern Israel, where many residents have fled due to the ongoing fighting.

A view across the demarcation into Metula, Israel as seen from the Lebanese side of the demarcation line.

A view across the demarcation into Metula, Israel as seen from the Lebanese side of the demarcation line.

According to local authorities, over 30,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in the Lebanese area near the 49-mile border. Currently, only one school is still operational. The Israeli strikes have resulted in the deaths of more than 300 individuals, with the majority being fighters. In northern Israel, eight civilians have lost their lives in attacks by Hezbollah since October last year. While Israeli soldiers have also been casualties in the conflict, the IDF has not released an official count of their losses.

Minutes after the CNN team departed from the UN mission operations area in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Lebanon's state news agency announced that machine guns were fired from Israel at a car owned by local journalists. The Israeli military has not yet provided a response to CNN's inquiry.

Following this incident, a more intense flare-up occurred, surpassing the typical daily exchanges of fire. The situation escalated further due to concerns about a potential retaliatory attack from Iran on Israel, which is anticipated to take place as early as this weekend.

Hezbollah, the strongest non-state actor in the region, works closely with Iran. One of the high-ranking Iranian commanders, Mohammad Reza Zahidi, who was killed in the April 1 airstrike on Tehran’s consulate in Damascus, played a crucial role as a key intermediary between Iran’s revolutionary guards and Hezbollah.

Iran has promised to retaliate for the deaths, which has raised concerns about the possibility of a widespread regional conflict with potentially catastrophic consequences.

Lt. Col. Juan Garcia Martinez, from the Spanish contingent of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, on patrol with a CNN crew along the Blue Line.

Lt. Col. Juan Garcia Martinez, from the Spanish contingent of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, on patrol with a CNN crew along the Blue Line.

Speculation was circulating about whether Hezbollah would join Iran in their upcoming attack. However, a Lebanese source who is knowledgeable about the situation has dismissed this possibility. According to the source, the attack will be solely carried out by Iran.

US intelligence supports this claim, stating that Iran has been seen relocating military equipment like drones and cruise missiles within its borders. This movement suggests a potential threat of attacking Israeli targets from within Iran, as reported by two sources familiar with US intelligence.

Furthermore, a senior administration official and another source with knowledge of the intelligence indicate that the US anticipates Iran launching direct strikes on locations within Israel.

Hezbollah may only join an Iranian war effort if the strike leads to further escalation, according to a Lebanese source. The source told CNN that Hezbollah and other Iran-backed paramilitaries are preparing for the stage that comes after Iran's response.

On Friday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared before a crowd holding a rifle as he renewed vows of revenge. Since April 1, Israel has been on high alert. Officials there have advised against hoarding food, generators, and medicine as the country prepares for a potential response.

US officials believe that Iran's attack will be carefully planned to avoid sparking a regional war. At the same time, analysts predict that Iran will aim to assert itself as a strong regional power.

According to Sina Toosi, a Iran analyst based in DC and senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, Iran's main goal appears to be de-escalation. In a post on X, Toosi explained that Tehran's strategy is focused on gradually increasing consequences for Israeli aggression in order to prevent future incidents without escalating into a full-blown war.

Iran has been trying to balance its involvement in the Iran-Hamas conflict since October. Its paramilitary allies, such as Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, who have targeted a crucial Red Sea shipping route, connect their struggles to the conflict in Gaza.

In a recent speech, Nasrallah emphasized, "If the conflict in Gaza ends, it will also end here."

Yet the conflict in Lebanon increases in complexity the longer Israel’s offensive in Gaza goes on.

Kafr Kila is a town that is - for the most part - deserted, and one that has borne the brunt of Israeli airstrikes in a series of back and forth exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah.

Kafr Kila is a mostly empty town that has been heavily affected by Israeli airstrikes during clashes with Hezbollah.

When warnings about a potential Iranian attack were at their highest on Friday night, Hezbollah responded by firing a series of rockets towards Israel’s Upper Galilee. This resulted in numerous interceptions by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.

This incident gave a preview of how Hezbollah could potentially try to outmatch Israel’s defensive capabilities while Iran carries out its anticipated attack.

The conflict along the Lebanon-Israel border has brought attention back to longstanding issues regarding the frontier, commonly referred to as the blue line.

In recent months, discussions regarding the armistice line between Lebanon and Israel have resurfaced. This line was established by the United Nations in 2000 following Hezbollah's removal of Israeli forces after a 22-year occupation. Additionally, Western leaders have been urging Lebanon's government to remove Hezbollah from the border region.

A view of the town of Ghajar taken from a Spanish UNIFIL base in Lebanon. It straddles Syrian and Lebanese territory and is occupied by Israel. A field sowed with mines buffers Lebanese-controlled territory from the Israeli-constructed fence.

This photo shows the town of Ghajar from a Spanish UNIFIL base in Lebanon. Ghajar is located on both Syrian and Lebanese land and is currently occupied by Israel. Between the Lebanese-controlled area and the Israeli fence, there is a field filled with mines for protection.

Charbel Mallo/CNN

Hezbollah’s supporters say this is far-fetched, and, at best,  unenforceable. But this diplomatic can of worms could protract the conflict in Lebanon.

From a Spanish base near the demarcation line, you can see a small representation of Lebanon's border problems with Israel.

There is a lush green field filled with mines that separates the base from the town of al-Ghajar. In the town, you can clearly see the blue line cutting through it, dividing it in half. Back in 2006 during the Israel-Lebanon war, Israel took over the remaining part of the village. At the edge of the Israeli-occupied land stands a UN watchtower.

"We are soldiers. We always need to adjust to the changing circumstances," Captain Hector Alonso mentioned while overlooking Ghajar. When asked if his unit was ready for the increasing danger at present, he confidently replied, "We are prepared."

CNN’s MJ Lee, Natasha Bertrand, Zeena Saifi, and Oren Liebermann all contributed to this report.

Editor's P/S:

The article paints a grim picture of the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, with Lebanon bearing the brunt of the devastation. The destruction of homes and infrastructure, the loss of lives, and the displacement of thousands of people are heart-wrenching. The situation is further exacerbated