Return to Routine Life, Local Authorities Tell Golan Heights Residents, Tourists
Regional council chief urges return to normalcy days after Israel and Iranian forces exchange rocket fire
Authorities on Friday urged Israelis to return to tourist spots in the Golan Heights and for residents to return to routine life, days after public bomb shelters were opened in the border region and local tourism took a hit.
"Now is the time to turn northward to the Galilee and Golan and to show the strength and cohesion of the Israeli people and to demonstrate its love for the territory of the Golan Heights," said Avi Malka, head of the Golan Regional Council.
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Malka thanked local communities for their "continuous cooperation, the determination and precise and powerful activity that enables a quick return to routine life."
Mass cancellations followed Wednesday night's exchange of rocket fire between Israel and Iranian forces, with 60-80 percent of hotels and bed-and-breakfast reservations in the Golan Heights being canceled.
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On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces reinforced its aerial defense systems in the north and deployed additional Iron Dome batteries. The military ordered communities in the Golan Heights to public bomb shelters the day before.