Israelis living near Lebanon border fear Hezbollah may be about to join the war

On their fruit farm in Israel's north, less than two kilometres from the border with Lebanon, brothers Nadav and Adam Ishach keep a grim souvenir of the last war that raged here.

Back in 2006, a Katyusha rocket was fired onto their property in Betzet by Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militia group that operates out of Lebanon and is again threatening war with Israel. The missile destroyed buildings and started a fire, but fortunately didn't hurt anyone.

The brothers dragged bits and pieces of its motor and crumpled casing out for a CBC News crew to see during a recent visit.

In the past two weeks, rocket and artillery attacks from Lebanon have been intensifying, leading many to fear Israel's war with Hamas may spread beyond Gaza to other fronts. 

The brothers are hoping their souvenir is the only missile they ever encounter. But they're not taking any chances: Their families have already evacuated in anticipation of fighting in Israel's north, far from Gaza.

"It's really scary," said Nadav. He pointed out the zigzag concrete wall delineating the border between the two countries on a nearby hillside.

"We feel like they're testing us because they [Hezbollah] see civilians and they shoot a missile," he said.

In the last 48 hours, attacks across the border on Israeli communities and military positions have gone from sporadic to incessant.

Thursday night's barrage of nine rockets and two anti-tank missiles represents the worst escalation of violence in the area in 17 years.

A spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said about 30 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward Israeli positions near the border area of Mount Dov. He said Israel's retaliation hit a unit of militants, killing three.

Hezbollah on Sunday announced the deaths of six fighters, raising to 26 the number of its members killed since the latest bout of fighting began.

At least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed in the war to date, including more than 1,500 children, Palestinian officials say. Israel says more than 1,400 of its citizens have been killed. Several Canadians have also died in the conflict.

Lebanon claims a separate exchange of fire with Israel killed a journalist — the second one to die in a week. 

Last week, Issam Abdallah who worked for Reuters news agency was killed and several other journalists were injured when their live-camera position was hit by what Lebanese officials say was an Israeli military shell.