
Three-and-a-half years have passed since the Second Lebanon War, and Tuesday  morning saw the end of a project for the renovation and restoration of bomb  shelters in northern Israel in a festive ceremony. 
The Prime Minister's  Office and the Defense Ministry invested NIS 96 million (roughly $25.27 million)  in the renovation of 3,019 public shelters. An additional 1,838 joint shelters  were renovated by the administration for the restoration of the North and the  Amigour company. 
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said that in the  event of another military operation, the fighting will not only be felt near  Israel's borders, but throughout the entire country. "We are building the State  of Israel's civilian front," he said, "A war only on the military front, as in  the Yom Kippur War - not involving the civilian population – will not  reoccur." 
The minister added that, "the best war is one that is  prevented, because if there is a war, it will reach every part of the State of  Israel." 
Vilnai slammed the proposed budget cuts in communities on the  confrontation lines and said, "It is unreasonable and unfathomable that they are  trying to take away from grants to authorities in the periphery. These towns are  located around the state's borders and determine how the State of Israel  looks." 
Eyal Gabai, director-general of the Prime Minister's Office also  noted the importance of supporting periphery communities. "The recent conflicts  have proven the strength of the communities along the border. It is the State's  responsibility to change the perception, and the places that have been ignored  will be made a top priority." 
Gabai added that the government plans to  invest tens of billions of shekels in reinforcing infrastructure in the  periphery, which he said would "change the lives of the residents of the Galilee  and the Negev within 10 years." 
Head of Shlomi Local Council Gabi Naaman  warned that the calm in the north in recent years could lead to complacency with  regards to the continued restoration of shelters. 
"We must not forget  that the confrontation line has not disappeared, or that, alongside the economic  and professional threats, there is still a security threat that is demonstrated  with a Katyusha attack on the northern communities from time to time," he said.