In Israeli Cities, Calm Despite 'War in the North'

JERUSALEM, July 16, 2006 — -- Before boarding the flight at London's Heathrow Airport, all eyes were fixed on the TV screen. Passengers heading to Tel Aviv were on the edge of their seats listening intently as the anchor delivered the latest reports -- more attacks from southern Beirut, and retaliation and more bombings from northern Israel.

I was expecting to arrive in Tel Aviv this morning to find the streets deserted, people panicking and hunkered down in bomb shelters. I thought I was going to find people bracing for war, a nation holding its breath, anxious. But it was a totally different scene.

This is my fourth trip to Israel, and it really doesn't feel any different from any other trip. There is no air of panic on the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Instead, there is a sense of calm. It's the first day of the week here, and the streets are bustling with people. It was business as usual. This country is no stranger to conflicts and wars, which may explain their composure and defiance.

But one thing is clear: The violence is escalating and there's no sign of it abating. Both sides are stepping up their attacks.

The Islamic militant group Hezbollah is firing a barrage of rockets deep into northern Israel. This is a surprise for Israel. Previously, the state did not think Hezbollah's rockets were capable of reaching these areas. But they are, in their dozens.

One Israeli paper here asks why the country has been so vulnerable and having difficulty defending itself. It offers one explanation; Hezbollah's offensive is based on surprise and mobility. Patriot missile batteries have been deployed to the coastal city of Haifa overnight.

But at 9 a.m., the militant group fired a barrage of rockets into Haifa, making it the second attack on this city -- in retaliation, they say, for the killing of Lebanese civilians. Nine people were killed. Israeli jets hit Hezbollah's mouthpiece, the Arab TV station Al Manar. It went off the air for a couple of minutes.

While the two largest cities are relatively quiet, the northern part of Israel, the area at the forefront of this conflict, is not so calm. My Israeli cab driver Rony made a trip to the Israeli-Lebanese border Saturday night. He called it a "war." Rony had to make the two-and-a-half hour drive at night as the sounds of artillery fire buzzed overhead and the rockets lit up the sky.