Israeli Student in Paris Shocked to Learn Her Taxi Driver Was a Former Hezbollah Fighter

An Israeli culinary student studying in Paris experienced a disturbing encounter this week when she discovered that her taxi driver was a former Hezbollah operative, she recounted in an interview with Channel 12’s “Six O’Clock”.

Shava Dov Kolter said the incident occurred while she and a friend were heading out for an evening in the city. After ordering a taxi through an app, she immediately noticed the driver, who spoke fluent English, was unusual for Paris. “We chatted freely. He even helped us make restaurant plans for the next day,” she said. When he mentioned he was from Lebanon, she did not suspect what would follow.

Kolter said she openly shared that she was from Israel, as she usually does. “The moment I said it, his face went pale. It felt very uncomfortable,” she recalled. The driver quickly clarified that he had no problem with Israelis, only “with Bibi and Ben Gvir.”

The atmosphere shifted further when the two asked his opinion of Hezbollah. “He simply said: ‘I’m from Hezbollah.’ At that moment, both he and I were shocked,” she said.

Despite the tension, Kolter decided to use the moment for Israeli advocacy. She told him about the October 7 massacre and the three friends she lost at the Nova festival. “I wanted him to see our side too,” she explained.

The ride ended calmly, with the driver even offering to take them again, an offer they declined.

The unsettling encounter comes amid a rise in uncomfortable and hostile incidents involving Israelis traveling across Europe, fueled by ongoing regional tensions and growing animosity toward Israelis and Jews in several countries.