Tel Dan Nature Reserve Hit by Missile in War. Here's How It Looks After the Renovation. Watch

The Tel Dan Nature Reserve, which was hit by a missile during the Swords of Iron War and closed for long periods, has returned to normal. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority completed restoration works costing about NIS 2.5 million, and last weekend the visitor service center, access road, and visitor parking were reopened. The ceremony was attended by the Authority's Director General Raya Shurki and the Upper Galilee Regional Council's Director General Yaara Kedosh.

The Tel Dan Nature Reserve, one of the most beloved sites in northern Israel, was hit by a missile during the Swords of Iron War and closed for long periods. Now, with the completion of restoration works by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the reserve is returning to normal. Last weekend, the visitor service center, access road, and visitor parking were reopened. The restoration cost about NIS 2.5 million, funded from the Open Spaces Fund. The works included rehabilitating the service center, which was significantly damaged, and treating infrastructure damaged by fires caused by missile impacts and the passage of armored vehicles in the reserve. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Authority's Director General Raya Shurki and the Upper Galilee Regional Council's Director General Yaara Kedosh. Shurki said that the presence of visitors strengthens the community and economy in the north, and Kedosh welcomed the renewal of the center and the cooperation with the Authority. The reserve, through which the Dan Stream flows—the largest and most important of the Jordan River's sources—hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Alongside the water and shaded trails, the site includes Tel Dan, one of the largest ancient mounds in Israel, with the remains of an ancient city about 5,000 years old.