When rocket fire was exchanged between South Lebanon and Israel last week, the incidents highlighted the tension along the border.But for residents of the South, war is never far from their minds. And many believe that another conflict with Israel is just a matter of time.
The exchange of rocket fire on Friday was considered one of several such isolated incidents since the beginning of the year, all of which resulted in no casualties on either side. But the fact that the attacks in each case were instigated from Lebanon, and no group has claimed responsibility, worries many residents. (The Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon have been blamed on Palestinian groups).
An ongoing war of words between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nassrallah is creating renewed fear of conflict in South Lebanon, an area which has experienced relative calm since the end of the month-long brutal war in 2006.
Earlier this summer, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned that Israel “will hold the government accountable for any aggression against Israel coming out of its territory." And his defense minister, Ehud Barak, went further by saying Israel would "go after not only Hezbollah but the entire state of Lebanon." On Sunday, Netanyahu said, “We consider that the Lebanese government as the one responsible for this,” Netanyahu said referring to Friday’s attacks. “We see the Lebanese government as the one responsible for all (ceasefire) violations and all aggressions coming from its territory against us.”
Meanwhile, Nassrallah has threatened Israel that Hezbollah would hit Tel Aviv if Beirut is attacked. He says the group now has more than 30,000 rockets, and that it had a surprise in store for Israel – possibly referring to his longtime promise to avenge the assassination of his deputy Imad Mughniyeh, his deputy who was killed in a car bomb in Syria in February 2008, which he blames on Israel.
Unstable Situation
“The situation here is always unstable. Nobody knows when something will happen. We’ve gotten used to it, but of course it’s not good. Everyone wants stability,” said Walid Matar, a grocery store clerk in the southern city of Nabatia, as he rushed to sell food to customers right before sunset during the last few days of the month of Ramadan fasting.
“The government is responsible for everything if a rocket lands inside Israel. But this is outside our control. Most people here don’t have anything to do with it.”
But Matar says he has never thought about leaving Nabatia, the city where Hezbollah is based, and which suffered some of the worst destruction during the 2006 war.
Indeed, Nabatia is bustling, and the colorful storefronts and streets filled with shoppers give no indication that just three years ago much of the area was leveled.
The owner of a baklava shop down the street, Mohamad Amin, says he is not worried about another war with Israel this time – even though his business was destroyed three times during wars with Lebanon’s southern neighbor, in 1982, 1996 and 2006.
“Israel doesn’t let us live comfortably,” said Amin, as he tended to customers who had all rushed in at once to buy Ramadan sweets for their evening iftar meals. “But I don’t think anything will happen this time. The (Israeli) occupation will never come back, and the resistance is strong.”
Still, he acknowledges, “Every few years there’s a war, and we go backward 20 years. Israel always targets Nabatia because it’s the biggest city in the area. We live in fear.”
In the coastal city of Sidon, mid-way between Beirut and Tyre, there was no destruction during the 2006 war. But some residents still worry about conflict with Israel, particularly after Netanyahu’s comments earlier this week.
At an upscale handmade soap shop near the scenic sea castle, the owner Kassem Hassoun recalled that when he opened in 2002, “business was booming.” He said everything changed in 2005 after the Hariri assassination. “And then there was 2006. We closed for 2 months. Business hasn’t really recovered since.”
Now, he says, in addition to a lack of customers, he also feels uncertain about Sidon’s security.
“Before, Israel’s target was Hezbollah,” he said. “Now they’re saying the entire Lebanese government is responsible. It’s a totally different situation now, and that’s dangerous. If the entire country is responsible, then we’re all targets.”
In a region of Lebanon has been praised for its resilience following the 2006 war large-scale housing and development projects, any renewed conflict would be a major setback, not just to its infrastructure but also its confidence.
A Record Year for Tourism
The year 2009 has been a record year for tourism in Lebanon, and the south has even seen a small share of this success, with summer festivals returning to villages after an absence of 3 years.
At Lebanon’s ministry of tourism, general director Nada Sardouk Ghandour smiles when the south is mentioned. It is a point of both pride and concern for Lebanese – for its indefatigable spirit, hospitable villages and breathtaking scenery of castles in lush green mountains, as well as a point of vulnerability: within firing range of Israel and largely outside the control of the Lebanese government.
“Lebanon has a lot of scars from war, and that affects tourism,” she said. “There’s so much potential for the south. There are fortresses, castles, ancient sites. But we need peace and security.”
She then leaves attend another meeting, the busy schedule of a tourism ministry official during Lebanon’s best year for tourism in decades – but not before furnishing brochures of places to visit in Lebanon, including the south.
It seems to be a part of Lebanon that everyone loves, but no one can predict.
At the office of parliament speaker Nabih Berri from the Amal movement, a secular Shiite party, Ali Hamdan, his senior adviser says he’s always worried about conflict with Israel, especially in light of Netanyahu’s recent statements.
Hamdan, who comes from a village near Nabatia, said, “From our side, I can tell you there’s no intention of war. But I don’t know what Israel has planned. From our side, we need to keep the area quiet and peaceful.”
He added, “The root of the problem is the Palestinian issue. If there’s no solution, the whole region will continue living in turbulence.”
For now, the ongoing war of words between Netanyahu and Nassrallah certainly isn’t inspiring confidence.
“It’s a very serious situation. My sense is the problem is getting worse, not better,” says Paul Salem, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.
“Israel is unhappy with the results of the 2006 war,” he says. “Hezbollah is preparing to fight, but I don’t think they want to fight. They might not be ready, but I think they’re working up to it.”
Brooke Anderson is a freelance journalist based in Lebanon.
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