Beirut, August 27 2013
by Michel Bogopolsky
As summer comes to an end in Beirut, things are fast heating up rather than cooling down. The cinders of the war next door in Syria are falling ever more frequently on Lebanon, and closing in on the capital, Beirut. What residents of this city have feared for months seems to be happening, and no one appears able to figure out how to prevent it.
Animosity between Sunnis in the southern city of Sidon and the Shia' party Hezb Allah who control most of the rest of the south have led to repeated violent incidents. The latest was in June, when the Lebanese Army engaged the forces of the 'mad sheikh' Ahmad el Assir and his followers in a battle that lasted several days.
In Tripoli, the main city of the north, there have been repeated, extremely violent, clashes between Sunni residents of the Bab Tabanneh neighborhood and the Alawi area known as Jabal Mohsen over the last several months.
In the last two months two bombs have gone off in Beirut's southern suburbs, also controlled by Hezb Allah. The most recent, on August 15, killed 27 people and wounded hundreds. This attack was claimed by a previously unknown group calling themselves 'Aisha, Um al Muimeen', a specifically religious reference to some of the most inflammatory differences between Shia' and Sunni Muslims. This attack and a previous, unclaimed, attack in May, are both believed to be revenge for Hezb Allah's intervention on the side of the Syrian regime.
Last week, things got dramatically worse, when two car bombs exploded in Tripoli in front of two of the city's main Sunni mosques just as Friday prayers were letting out. At least 42 were killed and hundreds were wounded by attacks clearly aimed at sending a message to the Sunni community. The local English-language paper Daily Star is reporting today that one suspect in these bombings has confessed to working with Syrian intelligence services to plan and carry out these two attacks.
Until now, Beirut's central zones have been spared. Last week, however, Lebanon's beleagured security services were able to locate a car bomb factory and dismantle a vehicle packed with TNT and nitroglycerin. So far, we have no information about where that attack was supposed to occur.
In the last day there are rumors and somewhat more than rumors of coming attacks in Beirut. Yesterday, friends and family of one of Lebanon's most prominent politicians (unnamed to protect the identities of others involved) received calls warning of attacks in downtown Beirut in the days to come. As it happened, through the chain I was one of the recipients of this particular warning.
Apparently other warnings have gone out, as many of Beirut's streets were nearly empty today, and residents stayed home in droves.
As of three or four days ago, the army is out in force, encamped on street corners and actively patrolling many neighborhoods. Cars that appear suspicious are cordoned off and checked, and a new system of neighborhood surveillance over parked cars is being introduced. One of my friends, who had left her car parked for four days, was warned that in the future she risked having her car taken and dismantled. At the entrances to the city cars are being stopped and searched.
The mood in the city is tense and anxious, and everyone waits, as one resident said 'for the other shoe to drop'.
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Addendum: As of today, Sunday, September 1st, there has been no incident. Opinions vary as to why that is ('each side has bombed the other twice, so they're even until further notice', 'Friday was too obvious, they're waiting until people relax a bit, then they'll do it'), but no one has decided we're in the clear. For the last several days, the streets have been amazingly empty, and parking in many areas is suddenly possible again. I.E., many people have packed up and gone to the mountains or flown away for the time being.
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