Fears are growing in southern Lebanon about what the coming days, weeks and possibly months will look like after Israel reportedly launched “limited” ground attacks across the border.

Bassam el Hajj, a 60-year-old teacher from the Lebanese border town of Rmeish, told NBC News that he feared the worst last night after noticing the withdrawal of Lebanese troops from the area.

“We had a feeling something serious was going on — and soon,” he said in an interview this morning. Then, El Hajj said, he heard “very close clashes” near his village, with sounds of fighting “surrounding us from all directions.”