Israelis in north worried but 'used to' Hezbollah threat

Israelis inspected air raid shelters and stocked up on groceries Sunday after Hezbollah rocket fire threatened northern cities, with some saying they were not too worked up about the danger.

Ilan Ravor, a 76-year-old retiree, ducked into a public shelter near his home in Haifa, Israel's third-largest city located about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border with Lebanon.

He found the shelter a bit dirty but acceptable. Everything was more or less in working order, with the refrigerator full and the internet functional.

While the space usually hosts Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Ravor said he would not be surprised if he ended up spending more time there in the coming days.

"I am worried. I know that it is possible the missiles will reach here," Ravor told AFP.

The cross-border barrages from Lebanon-based Hezbollah began nearly a year ago after Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, but fears of all-out war erupting have grown considerably over the past few days.

A series of coordinated blasts targeting beepers and other communications devices in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, widely blamed on Israel, killed 39 people and wounded almost 3,000.

On Friday, an Israeli air strike in a densely populated Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut killed the head of Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force, Ibrahim Aqil, and other members of the group.

Israel and Hezbollah then traded heavy fire over the weekend and threatened to further escalate their attacks on Sunday despite international calls for restraint.

On Sunday morning, hundreds of thousands of people in northern Israel fled to their local bomb shelters as a barrage of rockets was fired into Israel by Hezbollah, with some striking civilian structures.

"I know that Hezbollah is looking for revenge after what we did to them. Especially with the beepers last week," Ravor said.

However, he added that he had "expected" tensions to ramp up and said he felt prepared.

"I think the Israeli military and the air force is strong enough to stop them."

- 'Keep our spirits up' -

Haifa, a city of nearly 300,000 people and a major commercial port, is no stranger to incoming fire.

In the summer of 2006, during a war between Israel and Hezbollah, the militant group targeted Haifa with rockets, and 15 years earlier Iraqi missiles were fired at Haifa during the Gulf War.

"This morning, we were a little bit shocked," said writer Sylvia, 77. "But we are not afraid, we are more in a state of expectation."

Adir Schaffer, a 33-year-old gardener who lives in an area of Haifa where many buildings do not have shelters, said: "It is unfortunate but we have gotten used to it. We know that Hezbollah wants to destroy Haifa. People can change, but the ideology remains."

Schaffer added that he hoped for "days of peace" but was trying to keep recent events in perspective.

"We grew up with stories of the Holocaust, of previous wars, so even if what happened last night is important, we are not overly worried."

While Schaffer was not taking any special precautions, other residents rushed to food shops and filled their cars with water and canned goods.

Some seemed frantic, shopping as often as five times in a day, mini-market employee Shaked Ariel said.

"They don't know what to do," the 24-year-old told AFP.

Though Sunday is the first day of the working week in Israel, the streets were relatively empty after authorities ordered schools in the area closed.

Many offices were also deserted after employees preferred to stay away.

Haifa residents played video clips of rocket damage elsewhere on their mobile phones, staring at images of burnt houses and cars.

The nearby city of Kiryat Bialik came under fire, damaging Lea Sabag's house, but she told AFP she was trying to keep calm.

"We know it will last a few days and we have to keep our spirits up," she said.

"I hope we will face it bravely."

A small demonstration was held later in Haifa, with many holding placards calling for the release of hostages.

"I don't see this (past) night as different than any other night," said Orit Zacks, a 64-year-old protester.

"I don't sleep properly anymore since October 7, because I cannot sleep when people are held hostages and haven't seen the light of day for almost a year and last night was no different for me."