of their homes , schools and hospitals have been destroyed in recent months . As horrible as the damage inflicted by Hamas , the Palestinian militant group , has been in the south of Israel , Hezbollah is estimated to be 10 times more harmful . Hezbollah has between 60,000 and 100,000 soldiers , operates an arsenal of 200,000 rockets and is better trained and equipped than Hamas . Hezbollah , much like Hamas , is proxy built , designed , equipped and financed by Iran .
As Mike and I approached the border between Israel and Lebanon , we saw many kibbutzim , Israel ’ s communal villages , that were completely evacuated with empty playgrounds as all the kids are now miles from the border in fear for their lives .
Once we arrived at the IDF ’ s northern volunteer army base , we met with the rest of its reserve unit , comprised of men over the age of 35 , to discuss the war . They told us they understand why so many people left , but somebody must watch the northern border as most soldiers and reservists are busy in the south dealing with the threat of Hamas in Gaza .
After they showed us their modest barracks and outlined for us previous Hezbollah missile attacks on large maps , we discussed local politics in Israel and how the U . S . election in 2024 was going to have a direct effect on this tiny country in the Middle East . Once we completed our meeting , our driver sped down the mountain once again , and we were lucky to avoid any sniper fire .
Later that day , Mike and I visited another IDF army base in the north and met with another unit that is responsible for research and development in reconnaissance .
This unit is building drones and gave us an example of what they can achieve in Gaza . They showed us a video where Hamas had abducted an Israeli K9 , a Belgian Malinois , that was being tortured .
The IDF located the house , called in precision missile strikes to eliminate two terrorists on top of the roof and two others outside of the house . Then an IDF counterterrorist unit came into the house , escorted the unarmed women out , found the dog and transported it to a field hospital . This operational precision in urban combat is unheard of and has never been done in the history of urban warfare .
Judea - Samaria
The following day , we visited the northern region of Judea and Samaria , also known as the West Bank , to meet with a counterterrorist unit near Jenin . Members of the unit took us along the border of Jordan and to the northern section of Judea and Samaria to show us where Hamas is still in operation .
We also met the Israeli border police who pointed out all the different regions in the mountainous area . Most Israeli politicians are not focused on the border with Jordan due to the peace treaty with the king of Jordan , but the king ’ s hold is tenuous .
The king is part of the Hashemites , who have been ruling Jordan since 1948 . The biggest threat to Israel from the Jordanian border is the guns and rifles that get smuggled through local mafias and sold to the to the highest bidder , often terrorists . Since Gaza has been destroyed by the IDF as a proxy military base for Iran , Iran will likely start to infiltrate Jordan to use another proxy area against Israel .
Judea and Samaria and the area close to Jordan are some of the most beautiful places I ’ ve ever seen . It is really the land of the Bible . While for Mike and me it was a peaceful day , I was told by the counterterrorism IDF unit that this area could combust at any moment .
Fisher ( left ) next to Mark Robinson ( right ), lieutenant governed of North Carolina .
A Resilient People
At our next stop , Mike and I went to a busy hospital north of Tel Aviv to meet with many IDF units recovering from wounds sustained in Gaza . We sat with many wounded warriors , one of whom was a 20-year-old who had been shot and survived shrapnel in his back and rib cage .
We sat with another wounded warrior who was a medic . Despite being shot and having shrapnel in his back , he continued to save the lives of many in his unit . He sat there with his close friends who came to visit , chain-smoking cigarettes and wearing a Metallica T-shirt . He had questions about the U . S . and expressed a desire to visit Arizona , Texas and Nevada . I could tell that while he was happy to be alive and recovering , all he wanted was to go back to Gaza and rejoin the fight . It was an honor to spend time with these young heroes .
We then visited Bring Them Home Now , an organization established immediately after the events of October 7 to address the needs of the families of hostages . We met with two individuals , a young man and a young woman , each with a sibling still being held hostage in Gaza .
Everyone in Israel wants to get the hostages back . However , many feel that Hamas is using the hostages as leverage to release hundreds of violent Palestinian prisoners and to draw the IDF into Gaza in an urban combat environment indefinitely . Bring Them Home Now advocates bringing back the hostages under almost all circumstances . I listened to the two young family members of hostages speak eloquently , holding back their tears and advocating for the release of their siblings .
Mike and I then visited an IDF combat engineering unit that specializes in demolitions and tunnel warfare . Because Gaza used billions of dollars in aid from around the world to build over 350 miles of underground tunnels instead of the infrastructure needed to support the area , this unit built replicas of the tunnels found in Gaza so they can practice tunnel warfare .
The second lieutenant , a young man no older than 23 , speaking perfect English , took us down into the tunnels . He also showed us a fuel tank from one of the Ghadr ballistic missiles recovered
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