The personal details of Chabad shliach in Metula, Rabbi Moshe Sasonkin, were uncovered in chilling documents that IDF forces found in a Hezbollah bunker in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila during the recent war in the north.

The documents included Rabbi Sasonkin’s name, address, and even his car details, along with the details of other prominent individuals on the northern border yishuv of Metula.

Metula is located only two kilometers from Kila, which was a Hezbollah stronghold before the war. The town was mostly destroyed by IDF forces during the war.

Rabbi Sasonkin, who has been the Chabad shliach in Metula for 35 years, told the Kfar Chabad newspaper: “Among the intelligence found in Hezbollah’s underground bunkers was a list of the most important people in Metula – the head of the council, council members, and the head of security. Our house was also ‘honored’ to be marked on the terrorists’ map, along with a precise description of our car.”

“This was a detailed plan for a massacre similar to October 7, which only due to Chasdei Shamayim did not come to fruition.”

The documents revealed that Hezbollah terrorists in Kila planned to launch an October 7-style attack in Israel from nearby Metula. IDF operations in Kila during the war revealed that almost every house in the Lebanese village had been converted into a missile launch point, and the ‘Radwan Force’ terrorists were operating from there.

“Almost every house, even if it appeared to be a residence of a family of ‘innocent civilians,’ contained a stockpile of weapons, including RPG missiles and other lethal munitions, and thousands of terrorists were trained and ready to use this weaponry to attack,” Rabbi Sasonkin said.

“There is no logical explanation for why they did not carry out the diabolical plan, which was already prepared in every detail. The only explanation is that we experienced a great neis.”

“Long before the October 7 attack, a senior reserve military officer living in the area and regularly attending our Torah shiurim often told me how deeply concerned he was about the security situation,” Rabbi Sasonkin added.

“He warned that there was a real and immediate danger as Hezbollah terrorists could breach the border at any moment, easily overrun Metula, and cause a hostage crisis or worse before anyone could respond in time.”

“It’s likely even he didn’t realize just how prepared Hezbollah was for an attack on the northern communities. But his words made it less surprising to me when it became clear just how ready and trained they were for such a horrifying assault.”

Fittingly, Rabbi Sasonkin was first told about the great neis on Chanukah. “A senior source told me that after IDF forces entered the village of Kfar Kila, they discovered a document containing highly detailed plans for a massacre similar to the one on October 7.”

“This information came to me recently during a conversation with a senior official. I told him that now, after the cease-fire, there’s hope that Metula’s residents will finally return to their homes. He replied, ‘You have no idea how much you need to be thankful for,’ and then revealed the contents of this harrowing document.”

“Just think about it: mere kilometers from Metula, every home we could see from every corner of the town was filled with weapons. This included anti-tank missiles and other lethal munitions. Thousands of terrorists were trained and ready to use this arsenal to attack the north in the same way Hamas attacked the south.”

“It’s clear that the local civilians wouldn’t have been able to thwart the invasion, and the local security squads wouldn’t have been able to either. The terrorists could have easily infiltrated and carried out their murderous plot without resistance. We must remember that each one of us is a living neis. We’ve all experienced a miraculous salvation. There’s no logical explanation for what stopped the terrorists in Lebanon from carrying out their plans on October 7, just like the terrorists in Gaza did in the south.”

“They planned it for years, built infrastructure, trained killers, gathered weapons, and were ready to strike,” he added. “Just this week, I asked IDF officials whether Kfar Kila still poses a threat. The response was that after the IDF’s operations against Hezbollah over the past year, especially since the ground operation, the area is mostly desolate.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)