In Hezbollahs Crosshairs

Metula
Northern Israel / Lebanon Border

Sunday July 30th 2006
4pm

I have mentioned often that we have always thought of Metula as a safer place since it actually touches the border and that Hezbollah would be unlikely to fire katusha rockets here, in case they fell short and landed on a nearby Lebanese Village.

Well at around 12:30 today that scenario changed and as we sat in the hotel lobby a rocket landed on the hill next to the village, in fact it landed about 100 m from where we had spent all day yesterday broadcasting. I have my camera set up in a live location on the hotel roof and we headed up, as we took the platform the air whistled and then exploded as a second missile struck about again 500 m away in a vegetable garden of a house.

You do shake and you do start to question the value of life when you experience and see the missile strike, in a word it scares the f... out of you, if you cannot admit that to yourself then you are seriously in need of a brain transplant.

The live shot went ok, the only thing we cannot show is the location in a wide picture so that the Hezbollah who are watching TV could if needed ring the missile team and tell then to adjust. In these situations you zoom in out of focus and gradually focus up when all references are cleared or alternatively I put my hand in front of the lens and finger glimpse thru to the close up.

We had just finished the live shot, and standing up on the roof when a third missile came in a 100m closer. If good things come in threes I can only hope that Hezbollah were happy. They were so close to a target that would of made events here so much more volatile, if they had hit just a little bit to the left or right.

What was there will remain a secret for another day to share, trust me they were real close to a major target.

My last blog mentioned my belief that maybe diplomacy could be gaining momentum, well at 1:00 am last night the IDF hit a building in Qana, Southern Lebanon and killed at least 50 civilians many of them children. And they have pledged a "rain" of terror in return, by that they mean that they will step up there rocket fire into Israel.

Flak jackets sometimes a fashion accessory, today everyone is wearing one in the streets of Metula. There are only journalists and soldiers in town.