The Chris Cuomo Project - What This War Looks Like on Israel’s Lebanon Border

Episode Date: March 17, 2026

Chris Cuomo travels to Israel’s border with Lebanon to show why the northern front may matter as much as anything happening inside Iran.From kibbutzim turned into fortified communities to schools outfitted with bulletproof glass, Cuomo documents how life has changed in northern Israel as Hezbollah attacks continue and the conflict expands beyond airstrikes and political messaging. He speaks with residents and local leaders about what it means to live within seconds of incoming fire, the fear of infiltration, and the reality of raising children in what has become an active war zone.Cuomo also explains why Lebanon is central to understanding where this war goes next. As Hezbollah escalates and the IDF deepens its campaign in southern Lebanon, the conflict is no longer just about Iran from above — it is also about what happens on the ground along Israel’s northern border, and how long that fight may last. Join The Chris Cuomo Project on YouTube for ad-free episodes, early releases, exclusive access to Chris, and more: https://www.youtube.com/@chriscuomo/join Follow and subscribe to The Chris Cuomo Project on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday: https://linktr.ee/cuomoproject Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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you've got to look at Lebanon. Because that is not going to end for a long time. America has given Israel, the IDF, the go-ahead, to get rid of Hezbollah. Why? Because it's the largest terror organization. It's the main proxy in the region for Iran. And they've been vicious towards the IDF for a very long time. And they started in right away as soon as the campaign in Iran started for America and Israel. Now, there are some other reasons you have to look at it.

And that's why I took you up to the northernmost part of Israel, that town that's on the border that sees all the kinetic activity. Because one, it's interesting to watch life on a kibbutz. A kibbutz is Hebrew for gathering, collecting. It's a farm. It's an agricultural community. The irony is that the people who live there are the most sympathetic towards in the south, Palestine, Gaza, in the north, working with other countries, trying to collaborate. They're very liberal people.

They're like hippie people. So for them who have gotten attacked on 10-7 added to the nature of the crime, because these were the most sympathetic people who were attacked. So I took you up there because as Lebanon goes, so does the American time in the region. Because right now it is bloody, it is intense. They're going to hit all kinds of targets. mostly ones they want, some they don't, and they're gonna have to own that too,

and it's gonna be messy and bloody, and it's gonna last a while. So if you wanna know, that's where you gotta look. I'm Chris Cuomo. Welcome to the Chris Cuomo Project. Thank you very much for subscribing and following. Here, we are different. We are critical thinkers.

We are free agents. And I took you up to the north of Israel so that you can see, What is the most intense theater in this war right now? Because everything else is just death from above. There is a very big difference what's happening in the north of Israel and in Lebanon then a year ago,

what started what was supposed to be a peace agreement between Hezbollah and Israel that is now in the garbage. One, last time Israel evacuated the area. This time they refused to. So instead, they put their defensive lines. inside Lebanon. They say they'll leave once it's over, but we'll see. Last time, Hezbollah ran away.

This time, they're running down towards the south and they're bringing in more resources from Beirut. That's different. This time, you have an active on-the-ground campaign by the IDF that is very bloody and intense in the southern part of the region. So I wanted you to see what life is like here up in the north, what they've endured and why this matters to them. Now, remember, Kabbutz is Hebrew for collecting, gathering. It's basically a foreign community, very kind of hippy, bohemian vibes on a lot of them. But now, they're locked down. They're basically, you know, secure structures. They have to have their own surveillance because after 10-7, everything changed for people in those communities. They know. They know.

they know they're being targeted. They know they have to watch. They know that they need defenses they never had before. So we went in to show you how different it is and what life is like there for people. Now it's like everybody is one step from the military. There's really no division in Israeli society between the two because they're in a very,

you know, just straight up warfare mode. So if you had seen them before and you can look online, they were such peaceful kind of like totally out of this whole conflict vibe. and now they're in it as much as anybody because it's a matter of survival. Was the surveillance set up before or you set up all the gavel?

Just since 107, there was nothing here. I mean, basically there was nothing here. A few supplies, and this has all been acquired since the... This is all the case. Part of it I did it. Part of it. Part of it.

Part of it. So here's... The concern is if there's another insurgency. Yes, of course. That was the major concern. They had a very strategic intersection here. And during the war, the actual height of war, there was a fear that if his bullet broke through here,

they could cut off the whole galley handhandle north of here. It wouldn't show the role. And when the war started, and directing it the wrong, they had one rifle here. Yes, that's right. One rifle. Right. And they just, we weren't impaired for this thing.

We weren't prepared for it in any way. And fortunately, his bullet did not break through. But they could have cut off the other part of the country. So now, you have a system in place to give you some early warrant. Yeah. Yeah. And weather. Yeah.

And all these cameras and everything, it's something we did just on October, actually, basically. with a lot of like donations and people that helped us and we did it on ourself actually in the kibbutz I mean not the not the government and nobody actually helped us not the government not the army yeah and the army right so we had to do it by itself we did our best in four room so we will be prepared for hopefully won't be but next time did the army ever play the electricity bills no she So this is all infrastructure that the kibbutz set up. So this is the, this is not you allowing the military to come in and have a operation center here. No. You belong to the kibbutz. Yeah. Not, you know, so it's its own private enterprise.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Does every kibbutz in the area do this or no? Most of them, some of them, it took some time to do it. I mean, it took a few months or even a year. But yeah. Now I think that most of the kibbutz, I mean, the real. realize they must do it. I mean, they must protect themselves.

So you went from having really no security profile because who would want to with that you, you're just a farm. Yeah, it's just the give one. But after 10-7 now, you have it set up like you were a high-value target. And you have to have the ability to see but also to respond. Yeah. So how what is that done to what Kermut's life is about. You want to answer this question actually? No. I am a late, a This guy is a great soldier, but this guy is a tough soldier.

He's got a lot of comments. Don't let the baby for you. It's just a prop. Good to see you. This is where you live. And this is community for you. And what is it like to shift from a place that was almost kind of a sanctuary from that type of comfort to that to now this.

Well, it was very, very weird. It was very surrealistic because we had a kibbutz today, and then we weren't evacuated. This kibbutt wasn't evacuated. Between here and the next place that was evacuated, it's 800 meters. So remember the 5 km thing? Yeah. It was very arbitrary.

Because it comes to this notion, oh, maybe the red one, of course, could have come to take it, but it's 800 meters. Right. So we weren't evacuated. were here maybe 70% of population. So we had to keep the kids moving on

and we had to keep there and they had to they were in their daycare in the Mitlitin, in the bomb shelters for a long time for maybe four or five months. So, but we were very, very adamant, especially from the point of view, from La Caste and the keyboards

and to make sure that life carried on as normal, as normal as we can. But this is the new norm? This is the new norm. my kids wherever they go they always ask me with the security rules. So life has become, this has become our norm and it's not what we want, okay? Because we live here mostly on tourism, people coming to visit our vehicle area, all that kind of stuff. And then suddenly we, now we did that a year ago and now we're doing it again.

So that sanctuary you talked to about suddenly becomes a... becomes a war zone until they have a lot. Kids have to go into the bunk shelters, and kids don't go to school. It's very disruptive. I saw these two little ones at the airport. I have three of these. I don't tell you, I don't miss this phase.

I see these two little ones. One is like three, one is like five. Brother, sister. And they're playing a game as we're crossing them, saying, bridge, pulled over because there's alarms, right? right, sirens. And they're playing a game, look, there it is. And the sister looks up in the air and the brother laughs.

Because, but they could identify what was rocket, what was a missile, whether it was a curlicue or a straight line, and they were four or five years old. It makes you wonder. How do you deal with that? Like, what world is this for that? It's a different world. I had to go to the army. I went, I was in the army for nearly two years.

It was the 7334 days of the reserve duty. Halford was done here, and half of it was in Lebanon and in Gaza. And I'm a combat medic, in the Israeli army, menace, our front-line soldiers, so we do a lot of combat there. So it's very hard because they also, suddenly there's wrong, suddenly,

and then suddenly we have to keep them My middle son always come to me and say, what are the ones about? No. Why don't we like your own? Why are we having war? And then I say, too, okay, we have to buy your new shoes as well. But it'll take some time because it's closed and I hate this war.

You know, it's very, very, it's very, it's very, it's very hard for it to understand. They just kind of go, this is our two, this is how to me. I'm talking to do it. And then it's very hard for them to understand that, okay, we're not doing it. Well, why we're doing what we do? You don't have to be old to know that it's wrong. He also, but he also, they called them, they call them bad guys. Yeah.

And so they don't actually understand all right. Right. They all the bad guys here are you in there. And they understand it because they, they're at the age. I have a, I hit you old, I don't know, six year old. And for us, it's very, because we have to wake up in the middle of the, like, go to the, and for us, it's very, it's, we're trying to keep a routine going, trying to keep our lives the same.

That's not the same, no. So, the bombing in this particular region where I took you, when we were leaving, there were 150 shells shot from Hezbollah, they've been taking rounds, or really missiles, from Iran. There's been a ton of destruction. There's been more of the same, but also a new front of intensity with the IDF going into South Lebanon. That is new. It is going to be extended. It is going to be bloody, but this will not be over for them or for America until a situation in Lebanon is resolved. And remember, that's why it's so important that for the first time, in my understanding, The Lebanese government, certainly in the modern era,

reaching out to America saying, we can't control his bullet. We need you to come in and do it. This army of Allah that they say they are, but they're just the worst of the worst in terms of terrorists on their own, destroying life in Lebanon, which was a multicultural, diverse place. Not unlike Iran, Iran has that very heavy drive of Persian culture, but Lebanon is an amazing place.

Beirut is an amazing place. to so many different Christian communities and Jewish communities, and of course, Muslim communities, and they are all under the yoke of oppression from Hezbollah, and now the Lebanese government is saying they don't know what to do. So how does America stay out of it? Well, militarily, I think there's a good case to be made to stay out of it, but you never know these days.

I would have said the same thing about Iran. But I wanted you to see for yourself what the reality is up there, because you're going to be hearing about Lebanon and, you know, hopefully a lot, because this is not over until it is over. in Lebanon. A year ago, when we had the first round against

Gisbalah, they flatted all the houses over there because under every house, they found a bunker with grenades, maps, including maps of my house and my neighborhood. It was a Christian village up until

2011. The Hizbara, Commando unit, Raduane, bought all the real estate and relocate themselves with their families over there. And we didn't notice this. And during the war, the first round, we flattened every house over there because they're watching on the entire Israeli territory.

More than 34 anti-tank missiles have been launched from this area to civilians' targets. And the main plane, the main goal was to infiltrate from there. to this community, to Kfar Gildadi. Right now, if you see there is a new base on the top of the hill, it's a Lebanese new base built in the last six months. Right now there is Israeli soldier over there. So this was Hezbollah. Yes.

Now it isn't. Now it isn't. So you cleaned out the village the last time, and now you put the military on top. Exactly. So that you literally have the high ground. And they can attack downhill at you and oversee you. Exactly.

The biggest challenge we have here on the north, border that it's the topographic issue that the Lebanese are controlling from topographic topographic view on any civilian community we need to say that it's only this part of the village we have a lot of work we have 120 kilometers of border so it's only one spot but this part is a very strategic one because they are watching the entire community here in Israel. Let's step in.

This is my house. Sorry about the mess. This is family and war together. It's not a good combination. Yes. But it's a very, you know, it's such a strange world, and strange life for you guys now. You know, there's something that I try to explain

to the American audience. audience the idea of the kibbutzim or as we say the other kibbutzis being attacked that the population the people who chose to live there especially in the south but true here as well as you know they were the most sympathetic they were the most about building bridges to the uh the perceived enemies so for them to get attacked was a real mindblower it's a real mind blower it's a shift There is a huge shift in the state of mind. Right. And it changed also.

In real time, over there, this is behind the hill. It's a village called El Chiam. And the IDF is already there, as you can see. 30,000 people that lives in El Chiam, controlled by Chisbala 100%. So I hear the boom and I see dust, but you know exactly what that is. Yeah. So what is it? So there is a battle there between the IDF and the Hezbollah units right now. Part of the goal of the IDF to take over the first line of villages that controlling Israel from above.

And there is a battle over there between the IDF and Hezbollah. As you can see. And what do you think that was? They blow up a bunker or something or maybe shoot about. you know, shooting on Hizbalah fighter that shooting them. So there is a real battle behind this hill. By the way, this hill is already Lebanon. We're going up there in a bit.

We're going up to this community up there. Gotcha. To Metula. Yeah, we're going right to the line. Metula. The northmost village in Israel, surrounding 270-degree border. This is a day, said, which we're going right to the line. we saw earlier. And the main threat right now, the main challenge we are facing with is

still infiltration. There is some indication that they are eager to infiltrate to Israel. Maybe not like in October 7,000 thousands of terrorists, but even a group of 10 people infiltrate. This is what terror is all about, you know, to create this one. specific media event that will give them the awareness they're looking for. How do you balance life and war literally being right in your backyard? I'm asking this question every morning together with my wife. It's very complex. It's a complex situation right now. But, you know, we faced, even though, even though, we faced, even a very complex, a worse situation when we were being evacuated from here.

Even though I was here as part of the first responding team, my boys, my family have been evacuated. This reality for us, we prefer this kind of reality than being refugees in our own state. And it's complicated. You saw my children, they are learning, trying to learn through a Zoom and Google Meet, etc. And we are all here. Can they reach you?

Yeah, they can reach. There is also a Hezbollah village over there, behind this hill and over here. But as I mentioned, the first step, the IDF2, when the Iran-Israel war was started, it's to take over the first line of villages to protect us. Because our expectation from our government, from our army was, we are not going to be evacuate again, make everything you can to secure our presence here in our own house. And for that, we're giving all the good words for the IDF that took it as a new doctrine. And now they are inside Lebanon, inside here in Israel.

How often is ordinance hitting over here? If there is alarm, we have five seconds. Five seconds. Five seconds, yeah. They're very close, as you can see. And so the indicators is only when they reach the border. Has anything come close, or are you watching things being launched and going down the country? So it's dependent on Hizbalah missiles.

Some of their missiles towards Tel Aviv, Haifa, we can see them. You know, some of the short-range missiles, we can see, we can hear them and see them only when they hit. Last night, more than 45 rockets have been launched with this community. Thanks for the Iron Dome system intercept all of them. But it's a risky time. It's a risky time. We are very aware and, you know, to the situation. And I need to emphasize that we are determined to stay here, even though we live in a war zone.

The American dialogue for Israel is very bad right now. And they are seen as the bully, not the bullied. And I always think that's interesting to know, because then when you meet Israelis, although you are uniquely resilient people, you see enemies on literally all sides of you all the time, and yet there's this expectation that you're the one in control. That's hard to live with that,

because your reality is they're all, they're all coming at you. You're not coming at them. And it's hard to, I think, communicate outside. And I think you being here, you know, enough time, I think it's easier to understand it, like, from within. Because, first of all, you know that these are the facts. The facts are that we are being committed.

The facts are that there is a challenge in almost all borders, as you said. We are, this is a unique model, you know, like a Jewish, democracy within the Middle East that is a little bit hostile to the idea. Thank you. Also to the idea, but also to the manifestation of how it looks like, right? So I think it's challenging. How challenging is it day to day that you live in a place that is really beautiful? And at the same time, it is a potential war zone.

I have to I think one thing that is super important to understand well maybe a few things first of all it's not really beautiful it's the most beautiful

place in the world let's establish that if you want to continue so that's like but that's not the end of value that's not why people are here people are here because most of them understand

that we define the borders of this country and we cannot allow our borders to be weak Because if the borders are weak, the countries speak, it's too small to not make sure that we have, you know, strength and power and resilience all over. But it starts at the edges. So we have a role, if you want, you know, regarding all the rest of the nine people who lives here. Not all Jewish, right?

Jews and Arabs, Muslims, Christians, you name it. We have everyone. And we are here to protect everyone. This is also important to understand everybody who is Israeli. I think that in the sense of like, why would you live here and I did a safer place? Every place in Israel has its own challenges. I think it's about choosing the challenges that defines you as a person and that has the most important impact of amazing things. How do you balance?

how do you balance enjoying life with not just being Israeli but it's literally right there what's going on what you look at that's so beautiful around you is also home

to what wants you not to exist how do you balance those two it's a fair question I think it's the only kind I ask no but can I I'll refer the question back to you, right?

What is the meaning of life? Like, why do you, what's the point of all of this, right? It's about being significant. It's about knowing that you are part of something bigger than you. It's about being a part of an idea that serves not only this region, but the world. And that goes back to your first question, right? The interest of Americans in what's happening here all in a safe and strong Israel. Of course it's your entrance.

Do you really want to see the Middle East? being radical and the ground for terror, you know, actions all over the world that will affect them, has affected in the past. Americans as well. No, I think it's a joint effort to make this world a better place for my children and your children at the same time. This scene is really important. The idea that a school, a kindergarten, needs bulletproof glass, is scary enough. But the idea that from close range, you would be shooting bullets

trying to get through those windows to hit the kids inside really tells you about the brutality of Hizbollah. And look, war is hell. This is about enemies. This is about destruction. This is very intense. There's a difference, though,

between intentional targeting and you hitting something because either you have the wrong information, bad information, you were reckless, you were wrong. Those are all bad too. There's no question. What America has not yet taken responsibility for yet, but seems to be what they did with the Tomahawk in Iran and Tehran

killing all those schoolgirls is fucking terrible. And what Israel is doing in Lebanon, where they're hitting, whether they're hospitals or communities or residences or non-combatants, is terrible. And it's going to happen. to be accountability, there has to be transparency. But to shoot through the windows in a place that they know is set up to foster relations, tells you how intense and terrible this can be.

These are terrorists, no question about it. So we have two fences going out to Lebanon on the northern part of Metula. So basically behind this fence, all territory that you see is Lebanese territory. There's like a road over there that they go back and forth. most of the people who use that is pizza deliveries. They go to the UN base, and they deliver their pizzas because that's what they do, basically, the UN. They sit down and eat pizzas on the border.

They don't even have the courtesy of ordering it from the Israeli side. You just remember the acronym is An. Oh, thank you, thank you. Thank you. So you know this problem as well. And you can see Kfakile, right? So the hill over there is already a Lebanese village. All blown up.

Remaining of a Lebanese village. Yes. We're going to get a better look when we go close. But we're now actually riding, like, this is the border. You have a few of our, you know, fields over here. But today is very big on apples. We have the best apples in the world. Not only the best views in the world,

but also the best apples. And all of these houses were all hit. So this is after renovation. We are serious people here, right? We came back after the ceasefire and then immediately started to rebuild everything. Private houses, communal buildings, like everything. Rebuilt. Our mayor has a back, like he came from the military.

He was doing like engineer and whatever in the military. So he brings those unique qualities to very good use. And he's very on top of. You can see here. one of the posts that are spread out all over Metula. Most of them you can't see because they're hidden. But this one is very clear and it's occupied all day long. So the army's orders were take down any house that presents a significant threat to the

community, to the Israeli communities that you can document. These are all here. Interesting, right? So you see this one didn't repair. yet. This one, Regan, belongs to very close friends of ours. This one was completely ruined from the inside, Legamre, and the missile came from Kvarkili, so you can see the proximity. We're talking about about 100 meters, it's like, just, very. You see the road, isn't you? This was all turned up by, yeah. Everything was gravity.

This road was all like round up. No sidewalks, no nothing. Basically, Metula now looks like you order it from Shane. It's like new. Maxime. So we, you know, we shout out to the army and say, whatever it is that you're doing this time, please not on the new roads that we just built.

Go it from somewhere else. So far they're listening, so forget. Oh, it's also a good for me, like I see that they finished and they finished. Those are all ruined houses like all together. If you look up there, you see the houses over there, again, let me do this. So you can see the upper houses, the two severely injured,

they haven't started because those two houses can't do just renovation, they need to be taken down because they're not structurally sound. So they haven't started yet, but all the rest, and we had like, you see the one just below that is actually renovating. We have this neighborhood, we have about 180, HEDY homes, so I think about 100 of them got direct hits by anti-tank missiles.

I'll stop for a second because I want you to look at this. So this is our kindergarten. Wow. Okay. And it has armed, you know, glasses, which is funny to begin with, like, where would you... But you can see that that was... Sorry, sorry, Army. You almost took my hand. Okay. So this is like light weapons.

It's not missiles. Yeah, what shot? So I understand the proximity. So those were bullets? Those bullets, those are bullets, yes. You said, right? So the kindergarten, the kindergarten had bullet-proof glass. Yeah.

And they were literally shooting into the school. Yeah, here, you can see it. You can get. Wow. How close they were. So that will not be happening again. So this is the proximity of living the dream and living a nightmare. So here you have someone living their life.

They are literally able to look into the windows of what were Hisbola fighters that were able to take houses out. That is the reality. Going on in the northern front, this is the battle line. So thank you very much for subscribing and following. Checking out my coverage when I was over there,

checking me out on News Nation, of course, 8 p. and midnight every weekday night, checking me out in the morning, which is where you put yourself at the center of the conversation. on my radio show on Sirius XM-124, Podish Channel 7 to 9 Eastern every morning. It's a feedback mechanism. You call in and we discuss.

I'm different. I want you to be different. I don't want you to be one of these party pack animals that are killing us. Be a critical thinker. Be a free agent. That's why I'm selling the merch. And now it looks like there's going to be plenty of need in the Middle East that we can send money to to help with organizations in their effort to help people get past

what is going to be bloody and long and very, very disruptive. I appreciate you. Thank you for giving me. the opportunity to do this work and witness history. I hope it's helpful to you.